In a significant development, Khargone police have dismantled an extortion racket masquerading as the infamous Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The gang had demanded a staggering ₹10 crore ransom from a family after firing at their residence. Twelve individuals have been apprehended in connection with the case, while six others are still at large. The targeted victims were Satyendra Rathore and his father Dilip Rathore from Bhilgaon under the Kasrawad police station jurisdiction.
The incident transpired on March 17, 2026, when the complainant received threatening WhatsApp calls from an international number. The caller, going by the name ‘Harry Boxer’ and alleging affiliation with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, admitted to the shooting at the victim’s home and demanded the ransom, accompanied by a video of the incident. A specialized police unit was promptly constituted to investigate the matter. Following a rigorous 15-day probe involving CCTV footage analysis, technical monitoring, and intelligence gathering, law enforcement successfully cracked the case and arrested a dozen gang members.
Further investigation unveiled that the extortion scheme stemmed from a prior financial dispute between the complainant and the primary suspects, Lokendra Panwar from Ujjain district and Sachin Patidar from Dhar district. These individuals exploited the Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s name to intimidate the family and extort money. Among the detained suspects are Amit Kumar, Malkhan alias Vijendra, Shahrukh, Krishnapal alias Kenya, Ansh alias Anshu, Shiva, Hrithik alias Janjira, Rohit, Raja, and Kes Khan, originating from Ujjain, Dewas, and Khargone districts. Law enforcement authorities seized four firearms, ten rounds of ammunition, three cars, one motorcycle, and ten mobile phones valued at around ₹44 lakh from the gang.
Superintendent of Police Ravindra Verma disclosed that the gang had posed as the Lawrence Bishnoi group to instill fear and extort funds. Verma affirmed the successful dismantling of the operation, noting that most of the arrested individuals have prior serious criminal records involving murder, robbery, kidnapping, and Arms Act violations. Efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining fugitives, including Javed, Ravi, Rahul Baba, Kuldeep, Sandeep, and Harichand Jat alias Harry Boxer. Police officials highlighted that the gang had conducted surveillance and made unsuccessful attempts before executing the shooting on March 16, capturing the incident on video for extortion purposes.
