Bokaro — In a major operation against organised crime, Bokaro police have arrested seven operatives linked to the interstate gangs of Aman Sahu and Prince Khan, officials said on Thursday. The gangs are accused of running an extortion racket and intimidating businessmen in the region.
During the crackdown, the alleged mastermind, Prince Kumar Gupta alias “Bhatia”, suffered a bullet injury in an encounter with police. He was later taken to Bokaro General Hospital for treatment.
Bokaro Superintendent of Police Harvinder Singh told reporters that those arrested have been identified as Prince Kumar Gupta, Shyam Kumar Singh, Ajay Singh, Omprakash Pal, Jainendra Shukla, Golu Kumar and Bhupendra Singh.
Police said the encounter took place in the early hours when a team, acting on Gupta’s disclosure, went to recover hidden weapons. As officers reached the location, the accused allegedly opened fire, prompting retaliatory action. Gupta was injured in the leg and subsequently apprehended.
Investigations revealed that the gang functioned through a well-organised network. Local operatives allegedly collected contact numbers of prominent businessmen, contractors and real estate dealers and passed them to key handlers, including Rahul Dubey, Mayank Singh and Prince Khan. Extortion calls were then reportedly made either from abroad or from within prisons.
The arrested accused were also involved in collecting extortion money on behalf of the gang. Police recovered multiple mobile phones used in the racket, SIM cards from different service providers and weapons from their possession.
Officials said several businessmen in Bokaro had recently received threatening calls and messages from a person identifying himself as “Prakash Shukla”, creating panic across the industrial city.
Following this, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted under the supervision of the City DSP. Using technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, the SIT laid a trap and dismantled the local network of both gangs, leading to the arrest of all seven accused.
Police described the operation as a significant step toward curbing organised extortion and restoring a sense of security among the business community in the area.
With inputs from IANS