Pune Crime Branch has arrested three alleged members of the Bishnoi gang, along with detaining a juvenile, in connection with the ₹50 crore extortion and firing case involving a businessman from Fursungi.
The accused were tracked down after an interstate operation spanning Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Punjab. Police also seized three country-made pistols and 30 live cartridges from the accused.
According to police, the accused called a businessman and one of his relatives on June 22, demanding an extortion payment of ₹50 crore. Soon after the threat call, they allegedly opened fire outside the entrance gate of the businessman's company in Fursungi before fleeing the scene.
A Crime Branch investigation using CCTV footage and technical surveillance helped identify the suspects, who had escaped to other states.
Acting on the directions of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, special Crime Branch teams were sent to Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Punjab to trace the accused.
Police first arrested Pawan Prakashram Barad (24) from Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, on July 2. During the investigation, they also arrested Satyaprakash Kaluram Shilora (25), a worker at the victim's company and a resident of Handewadi, on July 4.
Police alleged that Shilora had supplied detailed internal information about the company to the gang. On July 7, the Crime Branch arrested the alleged main accused, Ravikumar Rajendrakumar Jangda (33), a resident of Sirsa, Haryana, along with a juvenile near a railway crossing in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, during an early morning operation.
Police recovered one country-made pistol and 10 live cartridges from Jangda, while two country-made pistols and 20 live cartridges were seized from the juvenile. In total, investigators recovered three firearms and 30 live cartridges.
The Crime Branch said further investigation is underway to determine whether the accused were involved in other organised crime and extortion cases.
