Inter-district extortion racket busted in Jalandhar, 6 nabbed

The Jalandhar rural police have busted an inter-district extortion racket with the arrest of six persons, who were involved in blackmailing and extorting money from people.

The accused have been identified as Jobanpreet Singh of Channanwindi, Rajesh Kumar, alias Sunny, of Dhandowal, Jaskaran Gill, alias Jassa, of Saidpur Jhri, Barjesh Kumar, alias Meshi, of Sandhawal, Buta Singh, alias Buta, and Barkha of Mehrajwala. The accused had been operating across several districts, targeting unsuspecting victims with well-orchestrated scams.

Speaking to mediapersons, Senior Superintendent of Police (Jalandhar Rural) Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said the arrests were made during a coordinated operation led by Shahkot police station SHO, under the supervision of DSP Onkar Singh Brar and SP (Investigation) Jagroop Kaur Bath following a comprehensive investigation spanning multiple districts.

The operation was initiated after Narinder Singh, a 65-year-old shopkeeper from Sultanpur Lodhi, lodged a complained with the police. Narinder alleged he was lured by the accused, who called him to reach Saidpur Jhri, saying that they would provide him labour for his business, only to be ambushed by them. They accused him of having committed a false crime, assaulted him, and demanded Rs 5 lakh from the victim, threatening to ruin his reputation with fabricated charges. They forcibly took Rs 15,000 in cash, multiple ATM cards, and made video recordings of the assault to intensify their threats.

The gang’s modus operandi involved luring victims to isolated locations, fabricating false criminal accusations, and then extorting money through intimidation and blackmail. Police investigations revealed that the group had been operating across district lines, exploiting their victims using similar tactics. After raiding multiple locations, the police were able to apprehend the six members of this inter-district gang.

A case was registered at the Shahkot police station under various sections of the IPC, including extortion, assault, and criminal conspiracy. Further investigation has revealed that the gang had extorted significant amounts from other victims across districts, using fake phone calls and elaborate deception to ensnare their targets.

The arrested accused will be produced in a local court, and the police will seek their remand for further interrogation. Police teams are working to identify additional victims and gather more evidence of the gang’s activities across different regions.