Lawrence Bishnoi gang name used in Indore extortion threats, FIR lodged

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], April 24 : An FIR has been registered in Indore after two individuals received extortion threats allegedly in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, police said, adding that an accused in a similar case from Khargone has been taken into fresh remand as part of the ongoing investigation.

Speaking to the reporters, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) (DCP) Rajesh Kumar Tripathi said that Chetan Pawar and his acquaintance were threatened via WhatsApp messages sent using VPN numbers, with ransom demands made in both cases.

"An FIR was registered recently in Indore. There was a recent matter between Chetan Pawar and his acquaintance. Both of them were messaged on WhatsApp by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and were also threatened through different VPN numbers, and a ransom was demanded from them. A similar incident had taken place before in the Khargone district, where Rajpal Chandravat was arrested. He was trying to execute the threat that came from the Lawrence gang," Tripathi said.

He further stated that the police had gathered concrete evidence of the accused's involvement and that similarities between the two cases led to further custodial interrogation.

"The police got concrete evidence of his involvement. Since both cases were similar, Rajpal was taken into police remand again. He was under police remand for 3 days and we have asked for an extension of 4 more days... The investigation process is underway," he added.

Meanwhile, in a related incident on April 15, a businessman in Indore, Vivek Dammani, had also approached the Crime Branch after receiving a WhatsApp threat call demanding Rs 5 crore in the name of the same gang, with the caller allegedly threatening to kill his son if the money was not paid.

"A complainant, Vivek Dammani, approached the crime police and filed a complaint that he received a threat via WhatsApp call to kill his son and demanded some money. The caller is an unidentified individual claiming to be a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang. The caller demanded Rs 5 crores from the victim, threatening to harm the son if the demand was not met," Tripathi told ANI.

Based on the complaint, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 308(5) (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt) and Section 351(4) (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication). Police said further investigation is underway to gather more details in the matter.

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