Steel company owner receives Rs50 crore extortion demand from alleged Bishnoi gang; shooters fire at plant

Pune: An alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, identified as Aarzoo Bishnoi, has reportedly demanded Rs50 crore in extortion from a Wanowrie-based steel company owner. Two motorcycle-borne men fired four rounds at the businessman’s factory in Mantarwadi on Monday night, while the victim was at a police station reporting the initial threat.The firing, which occurred around 9:40 pm, was captured on CCTV. The suspects targeted the tin sheet roof and fence of the facility to instill fear among the management and staff. No injuries were reported, though approximately 80 workers were working at the time.Senior police officials, including additional commissioner of police (crime) Tejaswi Satpute and deputy commissioner (crime) Gauhar Hasan, visited the scene to lead the investigation.

Following a complaint by the 41-year-old victim, the Phursungi police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (extortion) and the Arms Act against Aarzoo Bishnoi and his accomplices.The ordeal began at 4:30 pm on Monday when the businessman received an international call via a messaging application. The caller, speaking in Hindi, identified himself as Aarzoo Bishnoi and claimed affiliation with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

“The caller had detailed information about the complainant’s partners. He demanded Rs5 crore from each of the 10 partners, totaling Rs50 crore,” said DCP Hasan. When the businessman pleaded that he did not have such a sum, the caller replied, “I know everything. You have two days. Otherwise, my time will start.”Police suspect the call was made using voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and routed through multiple international servers to mask the caller’s location.As the businessman and his partners were at the Phursungi police station recording their statements regarding the threat, the shooters struck the Mantarwadi unit, located opposite the Uruli Devachi garbage depot. The suspects fired four rounds before speeding away towards Undri-Katraj area.Shortly after the shooting, the complainant received another call. The caller reportedly said: “Now a bullet has been fired at your company premises.

Next, bullets will be fired inside. We will shoot anyone we see on the road near the company... No one will be spared, not even the children in your family. Leave the company. We have shown you a miracle within one hour.”The Pune crime branch has formed multiple teams to track down the shooters and the mastermind. The incident mirrors a similar attack in Pimpri Chinchwad in May, which led to the arrest of three individuals from Haryana—Praveen Ram Nisawas, Pankaj Kuldeep Rathi, and Sagar Ajay Pal. All three suspects were found to have links to the Bishnoi gang and were reportedly in contact with Aarzoo Bishnoi and gangster Kuldeep Kashish.According to police, the complainant runs a steel company, with units at Wanowrie and at Mantarwadi. He has 10 partners.