Debt-ridden business planned bomb hoax for extortion

SURAT: Crime branch sleuths arrested a 27-year-old person on Saturday who creating panic in Kapodara area by leaving a bag with circuit board and digital clock inside a jewellery shop. According to the police, accused Dharmesh Bhalala planned to extort gold from the jeweller to pay off his debt of around Rs 50 lakh after incurring losses in his online toy business.

Police investigation revealed that Bhalala, a resident of Amroli, had looted a phone from a woman on Friday afternoon using a toy gun to scare the woman. He made around four threat calls to the jeweller from the looted phone.

The accused earlier looted a SIM card from a phone in Mota Varachha on May 10. He used that SIM card to make the call to an employee of the jewellery store.

Bhalala planned to threaten the owner and employee of New Nakrani Jewellers in Kapodra by sending them bomblike boxes at their homes on April 29. He had undelivered toys and using parts of the toys he made boxes that looked like bomb.

Following detection of the case, the police registered fresh cases of extortion and loot against the accused. Initially on Friday, the police had registered non-cognizable offences in Kapodra and Utran police stations. Police recovered valuables worth Rs 16,500 from the accused including two knives, three mobile phones, digital clock and circuits and a plastic toy gun.

“Bhalala got engaged three months ago and went to buy jewellery at the jewellery shop. Noticing the jewellery there, accused hatched the extortion plan,” said a police officer.

“He kept watch at New Nakrani Jewellers and followed the employee and owner up to their homes. He then delivered the boxes as a delivery boy of an online shopping website,” said police.

On receiving the boxes, the jeweller and the employee thought that it may have been delivered by mistake.

On failing to create panic, Bhalala again went with a bomb-like box in a bag and left it at the jewellery shop on Wednesday. When he did not return for two days, the owner Mahesh Nakrani opened the bag on Friday and on noticing something suspicious contacted the police.

Meanwhile, Nakrani’s former partnership shop in Mota Varachha, Nakrani Gold received a threat call for bomb blast on Friday afternoon.



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