Builder gets Rs 5 crore ransom call

Indore: A builder in Indore received a threatening call from a person identifying himself as ‘Harry Boxer,' an alleged member of Lawrence gang, asking him to pay Rs 5 crore or his son would be killed.According to DCP (crime branch) Rajesh Tripathi, the call came in around 10.30 am on Tuesday. "A WhatsApp call was made to builder Vivek Dammani's office on Race Course Road which was answered by a female staff member. The caller issued an ultimatum: ‘Tell Vivek Dammani to pay Rs 5 crore, or I will have his son shot anywhere. The caller further warned that approaching the police would be futile and that he would only back down once the money was received," Tripathi said.While the staff initially dismissed the call as a prank, panic set in when a threatening voice message followed from the same number. In the message, the caller claimed to have real-time tracking of both the builder and his son's locations. The matter was immediately reported to crime branch.Investigation point out that ‘Harry Boxer' was a known close associate of Lawrence gang. The crime branch and cyber cell are currently tracking the phone number, voice recordings, and IP addresses to pinpoint the caller's location.The crime branch has stepped up security for the builder and his family, stating that the case was being handled with the utmost seriousness to ensure a swift arrest.This was not the first time that a builder in Indore had received a threat from the gang. Around a month ago, a builder from Tukoganj area, Sanjay Jain, had received a similar threat.In recent months, five cases of extortion in the name of the Lawrence gang have surfaced across Madhya Pradesh.