Barnala police bust ‘self-planned’ extortion racket, arrest brick kiln owner, 4 others

Bathinda: A complaint by a brick kiln owner about threats from "foreign-based gangsters" ended in his own arrest along with that of four of his aides after Barnala police uncovered a conspiracy to secure govt security.Barnala SSP Sarfaraz Alam said Shivam Mittal, the complainant, approached the police claiming he received a WhatsApp audio message on Feb 28 from an international number. The caller, allegedly linked to a notorious gangster group, demanded Rs 20 lakh. On March 6, Mittal claimed receiving more WhatsApp calls from a different number reiterating the demand. Police launched a technical analysis of the mobile numbers and call logs, which quickly led them to a suspect, Kamalpreet Singh. Under interrogation, Kamalpreet identified Kulwant Rai as the man who posed as a gangster during the calls, police said. The plan was allegedly facilitated by Gurpreet Singh, an employee of Mittal, who provided the businessman's contact details to the callers. Police said that Mittal, along with his driver Paramjit Singh and an associate named Amit Saini, had allegedly masterminded the entire plot. "The motive appears to have been a calculated attempt to obtain police security by fabricating a high-profile threat," police said. Barring Saini, all the other accused, including Mittal, have been arrested. Police said they have recovered a .315 bore pistol and two live cartridges in connection with the case. MSID:: 129267036 413 |