UPSC aspirant-turned-Maths teacher held for aiding Bishnoi gang's Rs 10 crore extortion bid

New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) A BTech graduate who taught Maths in coaching centres was arrested for allegedly aiding the Hari Boxer-Lawrence Bishnoi gang by conducting a recce of a businessman whom they tried to extort, police said on Thursday. The accused, identified as Amit Bishnoi alias Rudra Pratap Singh (35), originally from Haryana's Hisar, had been teaching Mathematics at various coaching centres in Mukherjee Nagar since 2018, they said. According to Delhi Police Special Cell, Singh allegedly conducted a recce of the victim's office, recorded a video of the premises and shared it with gangster Hari Boxer, who later used the footage while threatening the businessman and demanding Rs 10 crore. "On June 15, the businessman, a resident of Mukherjee Nagar, received a social media call from an international number. The caller, who identified himself as Hari Boxer, threatened to kill the businessman and his children if the money was not paid within a week," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Praveen Kumar Tripathi said in a statement. Tripathi said the gangster subsequently contacted the victim through multiple foreign numbers and also shared a video of his office to demonstrate that the gang had gathered detailed information about him. "The caller warned that the businessman would be 'blown up' if he failed to meet the demand," the DCP said. The businessman filed a complaint at the Mukherjee Nagar police station, following which an FIR was registered on July 8, and an investigation was launched. During the probe, the Special Cell apprehended Singh, who allegedly admitted to collecting information about the victim, his family and business at the behest of Hari Boxer, police said. Police said Singh came in contact with jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi through a common acquaintance in Haryana in 2014. He later established contact with Hari Boxer, who allegedly recruited him to provide local logistical support and intelligence for the extortion operation. Police are probing whether Singh helped the gang identify other potential targets in Delhi and whether he was involved in similar reconnaissance activities in the past. They said Amit Bishnoi is a BTech graduate from Haryana's Faridabad and had prepared for UPSC and SSC exams in Mukherjee Nagar. Since 2018, he had been working as a Maths teacher in various coaching centres in the area. PTI BM BM RUK RUK