The Samrala police on Wednesday claimed to have solved an extortion case with the arrest of five members of a gang that allegedly demanded Rs 50 lakh from a village sarpanch.
Arrests Made in Extortion Case
DSP (Samrala) Pritpal Singh stated that on April 18, Baljit Singh, a resident of Manjali Kalan village in Samrala, received a threatening call on his mobile phone. The caller demanded Rs 50 lakh and threatened to kill him if the demand was not met. A case was registered, and a police investigation was launched.
During the probe, the police arrested Nirmal Singh and Rani from Chhota Surtanpur in Chamkaur Sahib. Interrogation revealed that Nirmal had provided a SIM card and mobile phone registered in his name to Kaku, a resident of Mohalla Harkrishan Vihar in Ludhiana. Kaku was subsequently arrested.
Kaku disclosed that he had handed over the phone and SIM to Sharif Ali, a resident of Bandewala village in Ropar district, and Hardeep Singh of Manjali Kalan village. Police confirmed that Sharif Ali and Hardeep Singh were involved in making the extortion call and issuing threats to Baljit Singh. Both were arrested and named as accused.
Links to Other Incidents
DSP Singh added that Sharif Ali and Hardeep Singh are also suspected of involvement in a firing incident at a commission agent's shop in Payal grain market on April 14, 2026. The investigation is ongoing.
Second Extortion Case
In a separate incident, a city-based car dealer allegedly received an extortion call from an international number. The caller demanded Rs 1 crore and issued death threats.
The complainant, Rakesh Kumar, a resident of New Janta Nagar, reported receiving the first such call on April 18. Police officials noted that the caller did not disclose his identity or claim affiliation with any gang.
Police have registered a case under Section 308 (2) of the BNS. Efforts to trace the caller's identity and location are underway.
The investigating officer stated that this was the first time the complainant received such a call, and he has no known enmity with anyone.
