Mohali property dealer gets ₹50 lakh extortion call

Residents continue to receive threat and extortion calls which seems to have become an easy way for the anti-social elements to earn quick money.

Now, a city-based property dealer Kamal, residing in a village located in the area under IT City police station, has received multiple extortion calls from one Goldy Dhillon who claimed to be a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

The victim, also an agriculturist, told police that he received multiple WhatsApp calls from different phone numbers. “I received multiple calls on January 16, 17 and 20. The caller, claiming to be a member of the Bishnoi gang, asked me to arrange ₹50 lakh. After I ignored his calls, he called me at 6:08 am, warning me to arrange money within two hours and deliver the same at the location as told to me or else it would be my last day. He further threatened to kill my family. My family is terrified and, thus, I lodged a complaint with the police,” Kamal said.

Mohali police have booked Dhillon under section 308(2) (extortion) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the IT City Police Station.

Gangster connection yet to be established, say Cops

Meanwhile police have shared details of the phone numbers with cyber crime officials to identify the accused. “Though the case has been registered and we have taken the adequate steps, it seems to be a fake call. Many youngsters these days are making such calls by using names of gangsters, but they don’t understand that the road to crime will only ruin them and their families,” a police officer said.

Extortion cases increased two-fold in 2024

With gangsters operating from abroad and even running their networks from inside jails, extortion cases in Mohali almost doubled last year as compared to 2023. Around 40 extortion cases were reported in the district last year as compared to 19 in 2023.

Extortion calls to industrialists, Punjabi singers residing here and businessmen is rampant in the district and in many cases, gangsters tend to warn and threaten their targets by firing outside their house or at their workplace.

An unidentified person was booked for allegedly making an extortion call to Punjabi singer Ranjit Singh Bawa.

His manager, Malkit Singh, who is also the complainant in the case, stated that on November 13, he was at the singer’s house in Mohali when they received the threat on a number that they had shared on all social media platforms for bookings.

However the investigation in the case is on and the police are yet to trace the accused.