Pune: After arresting three workers and detaining a minor for allegedly making threat and extortion calls to city businessmen in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, the Pune city crime branch seized three pistols from their possession. One of the pistols is Turkish-made, while the other two are Chinese-made.Police seized one pistol and 10 live cartridges from the possession of one of the workers, while two pistols and 20 live cartridges were recovered from the juvenile.According to the police, the suspects had procured the sophisticated firearms through agents in North India.Crime branch officials said the gang members used the foreign-made pistols to open fire at a steel manufacturing unit in Mantarwadi after making an extortion threat call to the businessman, a resident of Wanowrie. The suspects had demanded Rs 50 crore as extortion.A crime branch team travelled to different cities in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab from July 2 before nabbing the suspects involved in the firing and extortion case. A senior crime branch officer told TOI, “The recovered weapons include a Turkish-made pistol, while the other two are Chinese-made. We suspect that the weapons were smuggled into India from a hostile country.”Police said the preliminary investigation suggests that the minor boy was likely to have links with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.Worker Pavan Prakashram Barad (24) was arrested on July 2 from Hanumangarh. Police later arrested another worker, Satyaprakash Kaluram Shilora (25) of Handewadi, on July 4. On Tuesday, police arrested Ravikumar Rajendrakumar Jangda (33), a resident of Sirsa in Haryana, from Hanumangarh in Rajasthan. The minor boy was detained on Tuesday morning in Bathinda, Punjab.According to the police, Aarzoo Bishnoi allegedly called three businessmen in the city, including the owner of the steel manufacturing unit, demanding extortion money.
