Bangalore:
The police succeeded in nabbing a gang that was extorting money from prominent realtors in the city by sending them death threats. According to the police, the accused Gangadhar (29), Madan Kumar (22) and Santosh (20) were habitual offenders, who have been trying to extort huge sums from realtors over the past few months. The modus operandi of the gang was to scout the area, gather details of realtors, including their business transactions and frequently visited locations, and then make death-threats.
The accused had recently attacked and damaged the car of a realtor in Hanumanth Nagar when he refused to pay. Their luck ran out when they made a call to a realtor in Banaswadi demanding Rs 3 crore.
Trap is set
Following a complaint, T Rangappa, inspector of Banaswadi police station negotiated with the gang and laid a trap leading to their arrest. "While one of the team members posing as the realtor's delivery boy dropped the bag off at a location specified by the criminals, Rangappa and his team overpowered the gang when they arrived at the spot to collect the cash," said D Narayana Swamy, assistant commissioner of police.
He added that the gang had initially demanded a sum of Rs 3 crore, but were willing to negotiate, following which they agreed upon Rs 2 crore.
Modus operandi
According to Swamy, the gang used to target small-time realtors who were not influential, to avoid complications. After identifying their target, they would call from telephone booths demanding to be paid a certain amount or that the target would face death.
"They even intimidated their victims by staging attacks on their office and vehicles as a warning. With their arrest, we have managed to solve two cases so far," Rangappa added.
Among the accused, Madan is involved in a murder and a dacoity case in Channapatna.