Pune: Days after the Lawrence Bishnoi gang allegedly opened fire at a steel manufacturing unit in Mantarwadi, a pharmacy store owner in the Wadki area has received a Rs2 crore extortion threat from the same gang, police said.The victim, who is also a prominent pharmaceutical distributor supplying drugs to hospitals across the city, approached the Phursungi police on Wednesday to lodge a formal complaint.A senior police officer told TOI that the caller used an internet-based service to contact the businessman. The caller identified himself as a member of the Bishnoi gang, demanded Rs2 crore, and threatened “dire consequences” if the amount was not paid.Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Gauhar Hasan confirmed the development, stating, “We have initiated a probe and are working to trace the origin of the call. At this stage, we can confirm the call was made via an internet-based application.”Police are currently verifying the authenticity of the threat and analysing communication patterns to identify those responsible.The threat follows a violent incident on Monday night when two men on a motorcycle fired four rounds at a steel manufacturing unit in Mantarwadi, Phursungi. In that case, the gang had demanded Rs50 crore from the unit’s owner before fleeing toward Undri.The police have already registered an extortion case related to the firing against gang member Aarzoo Bishnoi and his accomplices. Investigators suspect the motorcycle used in the crime belongs to a local businessman and may have been taken by one of his employees.Police suspect the gang is recruiting workers within Pune’s industrial units to facilitate these crimes. Specifically, they are looking into laborers hailing from certain northern Indian states who may be acting as “insiders” to identify targets and issue threats to local businesspersons.
