AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal received a death threat and an extortion demand of Rs 7 crore from a person claiming to be associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Punjab Police said on Thursday, reported ANI.
According to the ANI report, the police said that Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh received a threatening phone call and a WhatsApp message from the accused, who demanded Rs 7 crore from Kejriwal and threatened to kill him and his daughter, Harshita Kejriwal, if the money was not paid.
Based on Singh's complaint, Mohali Police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. The investigation has been assigned to Inspector Sunil Kumar of the Cyber Crime Police Station.
Police are examining call records, IP logs and location data linked to the mobile number used to make the threat. Singh has also sought adequate security for Kejriwal and his family.
Further details are awaited.
The threat comes amid a wider Punjab Police crackdown on gangster networks. In a statewide operation conducted in coordination with the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), police carried out 406 raids, arrested 87 people and apprehended two proclaimed offenders.
With these arrests, the total number of people arrested under the campaign has reached 83,529, police said.
In a separate development, Harry Boxer, whose real name is Harichand Jat and who is alleged to be an operative of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, was detained by US authorities in California on November 7. The detention followed inputs from the Delhi Police Special Cell and the Haryana Special Task Force (STF).
Originally from the Bamsur area of Rajasthan's Kotputli-Behror district, Boxer allegedly played a key role in running the gang's extortion network from abroad.
He reportedly acquired the nickname 'Boxer' after learning the sport during his stay in Jaipur. He had initially prepared for competitive examinations and worked as a boxing coach before allegedly entering the criminal world.
Several criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, firing and extortion threats against businessmen, have been registered against him. His name has surfaced in cases across Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana.
(With inputs from ANI)
