Ghaziabad Trader Gets Extortion Call For Rs 2 Crore From 'Lawrence Bishnoi' Gang

A construction businessman was asked to pay a ransom of Rs 2 crore over a threatening call in Ghaziabad. As per the victim, the unknown caller addressed himself as a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Based on the complaint registered by the trader, a complaint has been lodged at the Shalimar Garden Police Station and police have begun an investigation.

New Delhi: A case of extortion of Rs 2 crore in the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has come to light in Ghaziabad's Shalimar Garden area. The victim, construction trader Sudhir Malik, a resident of Dayanand Park, received a threatening call on WhatsApp, in which the caller identified himself as a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi group and demanded the amount.

A complaint in this matter has been lodged at the Shalimar Garden Police Station and police have begun an investigation, Assistant Commissioner of Police Saloni Agarwal said. Considering the seriousness of the matter, the police have formed a cyber and surveillance team as well.

Appropriate legal action will be taken soon to expose the incident, police assured. However, an atmosphere of fear has been looming large on the victim's family since the incident as they stress about being attacked.

Who is Lawrence Bishnoi?Lawrence Bishnoi is one of India's notorious gangsters, who has been accused of several serious crimes including murder, ransom, and arms smuggling. His network of criminal activities is spread across several states including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan came under fire from Lawrence Bishnoi because of his role in the 1998 Blackbuck poaching case. Khan received a death threat in 2023 via a letter which too was discovered by his father while he was out on his walk. On April 14, there were gunshots fired outside Khan's Galaxy Apartments in Mumbai's Bandra.

Later, it came to light that Anmol Bishnoi, the criminal's brother, had claimed credit for the shooting on Facebook, claiming that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was behind the attack. The Mumbai Police had invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against at least nine accused, including Bishnoi.