Around 200 extortion cases recorded in Delhi amid rising gang activity

Delhi’s extortion racket is growing steadily. According to Delhi Police data accessed exclusively by Patriot, the national capital has already seen 186 registered cases this year under Section 308 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as the now defunct Section 383 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Both sections pertain to offences related to extortion.

With data for the month of November yet to be collated, the trend is only expected to rise, according to the police.

Section 308 of BNS states: “Whoever intentionally puts any person in fear of any injury to that person, or to any other, and thereby dishonestly induces the person so put in fear to deliver to any person any property, or valuable security or anything signed or sealed which may be converted into a valuable security, commits ‘extortion’.”

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A senior police official noted that this year there has been a noticeable uptick in extortion incidents. “During the months of September and October, there was a significant increase in extortion cases,” he said.

He added that these incidents mostly affected medium to small-scale firms. “Car dealerships, gyms, smaller stores, and other such establishments were the most affected. We have been taking note of these, and such activities are largely associated with gang activity,” he said.

The gangs have targeted these enterprises as they are easier to intimidate due to the constant fear of financial loss. The spike in extortion rackets has been attributed to gangs operating from overseas, with many gang members fleeing India and continuing their operations from abroad.

Currently, Delhi Police has identified 11 gangs responsible for the rising rate of extortion and shootings: Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar gang, Himanshu Bhau gang, Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang, Manjeet Mahal gang, Jitender Gogi Sampat Nehra gang, Kaushal gang, Neeraj Faridpuria gang, Neeraj Bawana gang, Sunil Tillu gang, Hashim Baba gang, and Irfan alias Chhenu gang.

Earlier, on November 23, a sharpshooter identified as Aman alias Shera, belonging to the Gogi gang, was involved in an extortion and shooting case at a plywood store in Nangloi on November 4. Accordingly, the Gogi gang member was charged under Sections 308 (extortion), 125 (criminal negligence), and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS, as well as the Arms Act.

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Increased gang activity has also been evident with multiple arrests across the national capital in the past week. On November 25, a sharpshooter of the Kala Jathedi gang, identified as Mikku, was arrested under multiple sections of the Arms Act. He was previously involved in an extortion case in 2022. In a separate incident, two members of the Saddam Gauri gang, identified as Suraj and Faiz, were also arrested.

In 2023, the police recorded a total of 204 cases under the IPC Section.