The Delhi Police have busted an alleged interstate extortion gang behind a high-profile extortion-cum-firing incident targeting a builder in central Delhi’s Paharganj, and arrested five accused, including the alleged mastermind, a local builder-hotelier and a history-sheeter from Uttar Pradesh, said officials on Tuesday.
According to the police, the conspiracy was hatched with the objective of creating fear among builders and businessmen in the area, and also served to safeguard local commercial interests. The case relates to an incident reported on June 29, when an armed man allegedly entered the office of a private builder in Arya Nagar, Paharganj, and demanded Rs 30 lakh as extortion money, including an immediate payment of Rs 5 lakh. The police said the accused threatened the builder by saying that his associates were waiting nearby and would act on his signal if the demand was refused.
When the complainant declined to pay, the accused allegedly opened fire with the intention of killing him before fleeing the spot. An FIR was subsequently registered at Nabi Karim police station under relevant provisions of the BNS and the Arms Act.
According to investigators, the firing was not an isolated act but the result of a meticulously planned criminal conspiracy involving an interstate gang acting in connivance with local facilitators. The police alleged that the prime accused, Pawan Kumar, alias Pawan Pehelwan (23), a resident of Bahadurgarh in Haryana, projected himself as a financier but actually intended to establish himself as a feared extortionist in the Paharganj area by terrorising businessmen.
The investigation further revealed the alleged involvement of Pawan Kumar, alias Pawan Chetli (46), a local builder and hotelier, and his associate Rajesh Sachdeva (55), alias Sonu Mota. According to the police, the duo arranged accommodation and meeting venues for the gang, provided logistical support and shared information regarding the complainant and his family. Investigators alleged that while Pawan Pehelwan wanted to establish an extortion network, Pawan Chetli intended to exploit the criminal act to settle commercial rivalries and strengthen his influence within the local builder fraternity.
The police further claimed that Chetli suggested targeting the complainant’s son as a vulnerable point through whom pressure could be exerted on the family. The investigation established that the accused had conducted reconnaissance of the complainant’s office and held multiple meetings in Delhi before executing the plan. The first breakthrough came with the arrest of Vishal Bhati (21), alias Bhanja, whose interrogation, coupled with other evidence, enabled investigators to identify the remaining conspirators and unravel the larger conspiracy.
During the course of the investigation, police learnt that another conspirator, Shakti Singh (41), had fled Delhi after the incident and was hiding in Kolkata. A joint team from the Nabi Karim police station and the Special Staff, Central District, tracked him down, secured his transit remand from a Kolkata court and brought him to Delhi for further investigation.
The police said prime accused Pawan Pehelwan continued to evade arrest even after the other conspirators had been apprehended. Investigators alleged that while absconding, he uploaded videos on Instagram displaying firearms, claiming responsibility for the firing, threatening the complainant and openly challenging law enforcement agencies.
Acting on specific intelligence regarding his movement near Kabristan in IP Estate, a Special Staff team laid a trap. According to police, the accused allegedly opened fire while attempting to escape, prompting retaliatory firing in self-defence. He sustained bullet injuries in both legs during the firing and was arrested, following which he was shifted to a hospital for treatment.