MUMBAI: What seemed like a chilling extortion plot by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang turned out to be an inside job. A Goregaon-based businessman, 58, who believed his family was under threat from the dreaded gang, was shocked to learn that the caller was none other than his own employee.
Police on Thursday arrested Tejas Shelar (26), who allegedly posed as a Bishnoi gang member and threatened his employer with death unless a hefty ransom was paid. Investigators said Shelar, heavily in debt from online gaming losses of over ₹3 lakh, resorted to the bluff in a desperate bid to raise money.
The Threat Call
On August 26, the businessman noticed three missed calls on his phone. At 10:30 a.m., he answered — only to hear a man claiming to be from the Bishnoi gang. The caller rattled off intimate details of the businessman’s life, including his home and office addresses and the fact that one of his daughters had just entered the office.
According to the FIR, the caller said: “Hame upar se message aaya hai” (we have orders from above). He claimed a contract worth ₹25 lakh in cash and 1 kg of gold had been placed on the businessman’s life, but hinted at a “settlement” for a higher price. To increase pressure, he claimed four shooters were already stationed at the businessman’s home, office, and factory.
The terrified businessman asked the caller to meet near Goregaon police station to collect the money — at which point the call abruptly ended. He immediately approached police.
Investigation & Arrest
A team led by DCP Sandeep Jadhav, senior inspector Suryakant Kharat, and inspector Abdul Rauf Shaikh began tracing the number. The SIM card was found to be fraudulently procured using the ID of a street dweller in Ambernath.
Further probe revealed that Shelar, well-acquainted with his employer’s routine, had used this knowledge to make the threats sound authentic. He was arrested from Ambernath on August 27 and produced before a magistrate court.
Police said Shelar confessed he had hoped to scare his employer into paying him quickly, never anticipating the plan would collapse so soon.
