The Noida police have arrested a commando of the Special Protection Group (SPG), a constable of Delhi police and a retired sub inspector of the Border Security Force (BSF) for demanding Rs 30 lakh as extortion in the name of Indian Mujahideen (IM) from a Kashmiri doctor couple based in Noida.
‘The Kashmiri migrants have a fear of IM and pay hefty ransom in its name,’ said Pawan Kumar Gurjar, retired sub inspector of BSF.
‘Gurjar was posted in Kashmir and Punjab for several years and so was aware about the Kashimiri mindset,’ police said.
According to the police, Gurjar the mastermind of the gang, lives at Shalimar Garden in Ghaziabad and was arrested from Delhi on the information made available by the two other accused, who were arrested by the police from Spice mall in Noida on Wednesday.
The police laid a trap for Gurjar and nabbed him when he came to collect the money from the doctor. The SPG commando Paramjeet Bhatia was also drawn from BSF to join the elite force and both hail from the Nava Shahar district in Punjab while the arrested Delhi police constable, Vikas Chaudhary hails from Bagpat district in Uttar Pradesh.
After sustained interrogation, the three revealed their plot, police said. They informed that they made a fake letter pad of IM by downloading the outfit’s logo from its website and photos of victim’s family from Facebook.
According to sources, the arrested Delhi police constable had stolen the identify card of a commando of his department and managed to get a 9 mm government pistol allocated in his name in March this year. The commando and and some police personnel were suspended following the incident.
Police said that the pistol has been recovered from the constable’s possession with five live cartridges along with the stolen identity card. ‘We are sharing the information with Delhi police for further investigation into the matter. We suspect they have extorted ransom from other Kashmiris as well,’ said Preetinder Singh, Noida police chief.
The victim, Vijay Bhatt and his wife Sonali live in Noida sector 34 with their family. Vijay received a courier in which a ransom of Rs 30 lakh was demanded on a letter head of IM and the photos of his family members were pasted on it in early August.
Another such letter was received on 16 August asking for the money by 31 August. Later on 26 August, Sonali received a call on her mobile demanding the money. According to the police, the call was made using 3G internet telephony.
‘The Kashmiri migrants have a fear of IM and pay hefty ransom in its name,’ said Pawan Kumar Gurjar, retired sub inspector of BSF.
‘Gurjar was posted in Kashmir and Punjab for several years and so was aware about the Kashimiri mindset,’ police said.
According to the police, Gurjar the mastermind of the gang, lives at Shalimar Garden in Ghaziabad and was arrested from Delhi on the information made available by the two other accused, who were arrested by the police from Spice mall in Noida on Wednesday.
The police laid a trap for Gurjar and nabbed him when he came to collect the money from the doctor. The SPG commando Paramjeet Bhatia was also drawn from BSF to join the elite force and both hail from the Nava Shahar district in Punjab while the arrested Delhi police constable, Vikas Chaudhary hails from Bagpat district in Uttar Pradesh.
After sustained interrogation, the three revealed their plot, police said. They informed that they made a fake letter pad of IM by downloading the outfit’s logo from its website and photos of victim’s family from Facebook.
According to sources, the arrested Delhi police constable had stolen the identify card of a commando of his department and managed to get a 9 mm government pistol allocated in his name in March this year. The commando and and some police personnel were suspended following the incident.
Police said that the pistol has been recovered from the constable’s possession with five live cartridges along with the stolen identity card. ‘We are sharing the information with Delhi police for further investigation into the matter. We suspect they have extorted ransom from other Kashmiris as well,’ said Preetinder Singh, Noida police chief.
The victim, Vijay Bhatt and his wife Sonali live in Noida sector 34 with their family. Vijay received a courier in which a ransom of Rs 30 lakh was demanded on a letter head of IM and the photos of his family members were pasted on it in early August.
Another such letter was received on 16 August asking for the money by 31 August. Later on 26 August, Sonali received a call on her mobile demanding the money. According to the police, the call was made using 3G internet telephony.