New Delhi: What began with a missed call ended with Delhi Police uncovering an extortion network stretching from Delhi to Dubai. A case of firing at a businessman’s home also emerged during the investigation.On Sept 16, a Delhi businessman received three missed calls. Later, around 9.27pm, his son got a call from a UAE-based number. The caller allegedly claimed to be associated with gangster Goldy Brar and demanded Rs 1 crore, threatening the family with serious consequences if the money was not paid.Special CP Devesh Srivastava said an FIR was registered at Roop Nagar police station on Sept 17 and teams started working on the leads to trace the caller and identify those behind the threat.Joint CP Madhur Verma said investigators examined the digital trail linked to the UAE number and found connections to overseas communications infrastructure, including a virtual private server associated with a data centre company in France.Technical analysis and field inquiries led the police to suspects in Dehradun and Karnal.Police alleged that the call had been made from Dubai by Aarish, who was allegedly offered money by Aarif alias Pistal (32) to make the extortion threat. Aarif instructed Aarish to speak in Haryanvi so the call appeared to have originated from a local criminal network, rather than from overseas.The probe found an opening. The same UAE number was linked to another extortion attempt. On Sept 19, a construction businessman from Rohini received two WhatsApp calls from the number within a minute of each other, followed by a 37-second audio message.The caller allegedly identified himself as Vikrant from Mahendragarh. He claimed an association with Goldy Brar and demanded Rs 1 crore. He gave the businessman 48 hours to pay up and threatened to open fire.The use of the same number and the identical demand rang a bell.Meanwhile, police said the threat against the first businessman had allegedly moved beyond phone calls. Intelligence inputs showed that multiple rounds were fired at his Roop Nagar residence, after which the extortion demand was renewed,” said DCP (north) Niharika Bhatt. Police said preventive security arrangements were made around the house.The investigation led police to Ahmedabad, where Aarif was arrested from Vejalpur on Sept 24 with the assistance of Gujarat Police. His interrogation allegedly revealed the involvement of others in the network.Police subsequently arrested Mubarik alias Gullu of Tittwara, whom they identified as the alleged main conspirator.The investigators said he provided information to other accused and arranged for rented accommodation in Kirari for four suspected shooters. He allegedly also paid their rent.Nawab Ali alias Sonij of Khalapar, Muzaffarnagar, was apprehended near Rewari on Oct 1 with assistance from RPF personnel. He happened to be one of the shooters. Police said he was trying to escape on a moving train when he was caught.Four suspected shooters, two from Panipat and two from Khalapar, Muzaffarnagar, are still at large, police said.
