Punjab: Three members of extortion gang arrested after shootout

Punjab: Three men, who were demanding extortion money in the name of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, were arrested after a brief encounter at Lubaniyanwali village on Muktsar-Ferozepur road on Saturday night. The accused had demanded extortion money of Rs one crore from a businessman two days ago. The businessman lodged a complaint with the police, following which an FIR was lodged against unidentified persons. Muktsar SSP Tushar Gupta said a plan was made to arrest the accused and the complainant was asked to negotiate with them. The SSP said the extortionists agreed to take Rs 15 lakh and asked the complainant to come to Lubaniyanwali village to hand over the money.
The accused came on a motorcycle on Saturday night and tried to escape after taking the money. However, a police team surrounded them. “One of the extortionists opened fire on the police team. In retaliation, the police also opened fire on them and one of them (Sukhmander Singh) was injured. He and two others (Lakhvir Singh and Sarwan Singh) have been arrested,” the SSP said. During the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that one of the accused was an employee of the businessman. “The injured accused has been admitted to the hospital. Now, we will seek police remand of these accused and try to find out their previous links. So far, it appears that they are not associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang,” the SSP said.