BHOPAL: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the MP Police, tasked with probing cases related to big-money extortion threats issued to businessmen in the state allegedly by operatives of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has arrested a man from Haryana, officials said.
Making its first arrest from Haryana in the case pertaining to a Rs 10 crore extortion threat issued to a businessman in Ashoknagar district in March 2026, the SIT recently arrested Ashish Yadav from Hansi district in the northern state.
His subsequent questioning by SIT sleuths revealed that Yadav performed the crucial task of routing money sent by the gang’s overseas operative Harry Boxer alias Hari Chand Jaat through cryptocurrency to the gang’s operatives on the ground in Madhya Pradesh.
Yadav allegedly received the money directly from Harry Boxer—believed to be operating from the US—through USDT and converted it into Indian currency before transferring it to gang members operating in MP, including Pradip Shukla, JP Dara and Manish Jangid, officials said.
Importantly, USDT (Tether) is a fiat-collateralised stablecoin designed to maintain a 1:1 value with the US dollar, functioning as a stable digital asset within the volatile cryptocurrency market. It is used for trading, cross-border payments and preserving value across multiple blockchains, with each token backed by Tether’s reserves.
The ongoing Special Investigation Team probe following Yadav’s arrest has revealed that the Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh allegedly sent by Harry Boxer to gang operatives in MP with Yadav’s technical assistance was used for reconnaissance of the target businessman in Ashoknagar, firing incidents, intimidation and other organised criminal activities. According to sources privy to the ongoing probe, two to three men associated with Yadav are also on the SIT’s radar, and their arrest could further aid the investigation.
“While Yadav’s role in routing funds transferred by Harry Boxer via cryptocurrency to gang members in MP in connection with the `10 crore extortion threat to an Ashoknagar businessman has been established, sleuths are now probing the possibility of a similar modus operandi in identical extortion threats issued to businessmen in other parts of MP, including Indore,
Bhopal and Khargone,” a source associated with the investigation told this newspaper on Tuesday. The arrest of the Haryana man—the 29th arrest in multiple cases being probed by the SIT Team—came close on the heels of the arrest of another key gang operative, Durgesh Soni, from Rajasthan’s Bikaner district.
The 29 arrests made so far by the Special Investigation Team in multiple cases involving extortion threats issued to businessmen in MP in the name of Harry Boxer include accused from Madhya Pradesh, UP, Rajasthan and Haryana.
Crime Network
Ashish Yadav allegedly routed crypto funds sent by Harry Boxer
Funds allegedly used for reconnaissance, firing and intimidation
Probe links operatives across MP, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP
SIT suspects similar crypto routing in other extortion cases across the state