In a brazen daylight attack, a property dealer's parked SUV was fired upon at least thirty times by armed assailants in Delhi's Rohini area, followed by chilling threats against his family. The incident, which occurred on Friday evening, has sent shockwaves through the locality and highlights the audacity of extortion gangs operating in the national capital.
The Brazen Attack in Rohini
The terrifying episode unfolded around 5:30 pm on Friday in Sector 24 of Rohini, North West Delhi. According to police, three men arrived on a motorcycle, opened fire on a stationary blue SUV, and fled the scene swiftly. A PCR call alerting the police was received at the Begumpur police station shortly after.
Officers who rushed to the spot found the vehicle's front windshield pierced with multiple bullet marks. Several empty cartridges were also recovered from the road. Fortunately, no injuries were reported as the car was unoccupied at the time of the shooting.
A Trail of Threats and a Rs 3 Crore Demand
This violent act was not the first communication from the extortionists. The victim, a local realtor, informed the police that he had been receiving threatening WhatsApp calls and voice messages from an unknown international number between December 26 and 29.
The caller, who identified himself as a "big gangster," had demanded a staggering sum of Rs 3 crore as protection money. However, the businessman did not report these initial threats to the authorities at that time.
The situation escalated dramatically after the shooting. The victim received another voice message soon after the attack. In this message, the sender chillingly stated that while they had targeted his newly purchased SUV this time, his wife and children would be next if he failed to pay the demanded extortion amount.
Bhau Gang's Shadow and Police Investigation
A police source revealed that the sender of the threats had allegedly invoked the name of the notorious Bhau Gang. However, the police are yet to officially confirm the involvement of this specific syndicate.
The gang is allegedly led by Himanshu Bhau, who is suspected to be operating from the United States. He is a wanted figure for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and several state police forces, including Delhi and Haryana. Bhau is allegedly linked to over a dozen cases of murder and extortion.
The Begumpur police have now registered a formal case encompassing charges of extortion and firing. Investigations are actively underway to identify and apprehend the assailants and trace the source of the threatening messages.
This incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of businesspersons in the city and the operational reach of international extortion rackets targeting individuals in India.
