Two sharpshooters of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang were arrested for firing seven to eight rounds in front of the residence of a former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA in Punjabi Bagh area in a bid to extort money.
According to a Crime Branch officer, the sharpshooters were identified as Aakash a.k.a Kassa (23) and Nitesh alias Sinti (19), both residents of Haryana.
Earlier, members of the Bishnoi-Brar gang had burnt two shops of the MLA from Punjab, who has a liquor business in that state and two separate cases were registered in Punjab in this regard.
On December 3, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Punjabi Bagh police station received information regarding the firing in front of the residence of Deep Malhotra. Four empty cartridges were found near the main gate of the house.
The Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said that a special police team was tasked with investigating the incident. Through technical analysis, a sharpshooter named Aakash was traced to a village in Sonipat, Haryana.
“Aakash was apprehended and he confessed during interrogation, and revealed the name of his co-accused Nitesh, who was also nabbed, ” said Yadav.
The arrest resulted in the recovery of pistols, cartridges, and a stolen motorcycle used in the crime. Aakash disclosed his involvement with the Brar-Bishnoi gang, stating they were instructed to intimidate Deep Malhotra who is involved in the liquor business.
“The gang operated with layers of conduits, and the sharpshooters were unknown to each other before the incident, ” said the Special CP.
During interrogation, Aakash revealed his association with the gang during a jail stint for attempted murder. “He was lodged in jail in an attempt to murder case of Mohana, Haryana. In prison he met the members of the Brar-Bishnoi gang and joined the gang. Recently, he got instructions from Goldy Brar through the Signal App to meet one Nitesh and other members of the gang to execute their plan. The ex-MLA (Faridpur, Punjab) was running a liquor business in Punjab and was not paying the extortion money as demanded by them, ” said Yadav.
The Special CP further revealed that the gang, operating internationally, executed extortion activities across Delhi, NCR, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Their modus operandi included targeting wealthy individuals, delivering demands through various means, and using fear tactics, often invoking Lawrence Bishnoi's name.
“The gang recruited foot soldiers, mainly juveniles, from rural areas through internet-based services. These recruits, unaware of logistics providers' identities, received weapons and instructions to intimidate targets, ” said Yadav.
The synchronised operation involved changing locations, maintaining communication secrecy, and collecting funds abroad through Hawala routes.