New Delhi: Delhi Police Crime Branch recently busted an extortion racket and foiled a plot to intimidate businessmen by arranging shooters to fire at their residences and office premises. Two men accused of demanding crores of rupees in the name of gangster Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu were arrested.Special CP (crime) HGS Dhaliwal said Rohit Arora (47) and Sudhir Gahlot alias Chota Nandu (44) were apprehended in connection with the organised extortion racket operating in Dwarka. According to cops, the two allegedly used to threaten businessmen and their families with serious consequences if their financial demands were not met.The case came to light after an FIR was registered at Bindapur police station on Sept 6 under Section 308(4) (extortion) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, following an alleged demand of Rs 3 crore from a businessman. Police said the suspects had made extortion calls to several businessmen in Dwarka.What raised concern among investigators was the next stage of the plan. According to Crime Branch, Arora and Gahlot were allegedly arranging shooters to fire at the residences and business establishments of their targets with the intention of creating fear and compelling them to pay the extortion money. Timely intervention prevented the situation from escalating further, cops said.Investigators also claimed to have found that virtual mobile numbers (operating over the internet via the cloud) were being created through a mobile app using fake email IDs to facilitate the threatening calls and conceal the identities of those making them. Police said a person who had recently been deported from Canada allegedly assisted the gang in creating the virtual numbers. His role and the possible involvement of other associates are being investigated.Crime Branch said technical surveillance was mounted on the mobile number used to issue threats to one of the businessmen. Analysis of the technical inputs led investigators to a number being used by Gahlot. Further surveillance and manual investigation helped cops establish the identity and whereabouts of the suspects.Arora was apprehended from Sector 11, Dwarka, on Sept 23, while Gahlot was apprehended the next day, allegedly at Arora’s instance, also from Dwarka. During interrogation, police said both men disclosed their involvement in the Bindapur extortion case.According to police, Arora told them that he had suffered substantial losses while dabbling in cricket betting. Gahlot was also in debt. Police claimed that the two subsequently planned to extort money from businessmen by threatening them in the name of Sangwan.Gahlot allegedly provided Arora with mobile numbers of prospective targets and arranged a new phone for making the calls. Arora allegedly threatened three targets during the last two weeks of Aug, demanding extortion money from them and warning them of serious consequences if the demands were not met.According to cops, the two allegedly intended to use the money to settle their debts and set up their own extortion network in the name of Sangwan. After the Bindapur case was registered, the two disposed of the mobile phone used to make the calls and discarded a SIM card.The investigation has also brought to light the alleged previous criminal cases against the two. Gahlot had been booked in several cases relating to cheating and other offences.Crime Branch has recovered six mobile phones and is examining the extortion network, its financial demands, the technical infrastructure used for making the calls and the possible involvement of other associates.
