In a major crackdown, Borivali Police have arrested four accused for allegedly attempting to extort ₹30 lakh from a prominent jeweller by posing as members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The accused were caught red-handed while accepting a gold coin from the businessman, police said.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Jadhav, the accused repeatedly called and sent messages to the jeweller between February 18 and February 24, 2026, demanding ₹30 lakh. The threats were made from international numbers, with the callers claiming links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The businessman and his family were allegedly threatened with death if the demand was not met, leaving them terrified.
Following the complaint, a case was registered at Borivali Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The police launched a technical investigation, analysing call detail records and mobile locations before laying a trap.
Instead of transferring money to a bank account, the accused had allegedly insisted on receiving the extortion amount in cash and in the form of a gold coin. Acting on the plan, police first detained one accused from the Mahim area. Based on his confession, three more accomplices were arrested.
All four accused are residents of Dhanbad district in Jharkhand and are aged between 27 and 36 years.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused were operating in an organised manner and were planning to extort large sums of money from businessmen by misusing the name of a notorious gang. In recent times, incidents of extortion using the names of criminal gangs that have gained attention on social media have seen a rise across the country.
Police are currently examining the mobile data, bank transactions and contacts of the accused to ascertain whether they have any actual links with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Mumbai Police have appealed to traders and businessmen to immediately report any threat or extortion call to the police and refrain from making any payment under pressure. Officials said the timely action helped avert a potentially serious criminal conspiracy.