UP man poses as gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to extort Rs 1 crore from Bengaluru businessman, arrested with 3 others
The arrested accused are Mohammad Rafiq from Mavalli in Bengaluru, and UP natives Shishupal Singh alias Monty, Vansh Sachdev, and Amit Chaudhary, Commissioner of Police Seemant Kumar Singh said.
Police investigations confirmed that none of the three had any connection to Lawrence Bishnoi, who is infamous for issuing death threats to actor Salman Khan and allegedly orchestrating the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala and Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique.
On July 9, a Bengaluru-based businessman allegedly received a phone call where the impersonator demanded Rs 1 crore and threatened to kidnap his son if the ransom wasn't paid. He immediately contacted the police and filed a complaint.
Special teams were formed and upon getting the technical details, the team initially arrested Rafiq. Through detailed call record analysis and technical investigations, officers tracked down the other three suspects to Delhi. They were brought to Bengaluru on transit warrants.
The police revealed that Rafiq had a previous business relationship with the complainant involving unresolved financial matters from several years ago. However, the immediate motive was Rafiq's debt of approximately Rs 2 crore, which prompted his desperate search for money, they added.
The conspiracy was hatched when Rafiq travelled to Delhi for court proceedings related to a previous case. There, he encountered Amit through advocates. After sharing his predicament, Amit offered a solution, claiming knowledge of individuals experienced in kidnapping and extortion operations, according to the police.
The group of four met regularly and during one evening while drinking at Amit's lodge, they conceived the plan to impersonate Lawrence Bishnoi, according to the police. This decision was influenced by social media videos and reels about the gangster that they had watched online.
Rafiq allegedly provided logistical support for his UP-based accomplices who made the extortion call. Investigations have uncovered that the suspects brought a countrymade pistol from Uttar Pradesh and the police are yet to recover it.
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