Punjab and Delhi MLAs also received extortion calls: Anil Vij

Haryana home minister Anil Vij on Monday said the state police will dig out and solve every layer of the case pertaining to recent death threats and extortion calls that four Haryana legislators had received.

Replying to a calling attention motion on law and order during the monsoon session of the assembly, Vij informed the House how police had arrested six Bihar and Uttar Pradesh residents having links with Pakistan and Middle East-based fraudsters involved in money laundering and responsible for death threats and extortion calls Haryana legislators had received.

According to the home minister, three MLAs from Punjab and two MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi had also received such threatening calls. During investigation, he said, the suspected bank accounts were checked and it was found that ₹2.77 crore was withdrawn from 55 bank accounts.

The home minister said police are investigating these 55 bank accounts of the fraudsters used for receiving the extortion money. Vij informed the House how the state police outsmarted the gang members by adopting their modus operandi after tracking the internet protocol (IP) numbers that the accused were using.

Referring to the modus operandi of this gang, Vij said that these criminals used to open an account and threaten people. He said whoever fell in their trap would deposit the money after which the gang would withdraw the money. He said the police outsmarted the gang after carefully chasing them and their modus operandi.

“Our boys have done a great job and they deserve appreciation of the House,” Vij said, adding law and order situation in the state is peaceful and under control.

The home minister said not only the MLAs of Haryana but MLAs of other states had also received similar threats. He indicated that certain politicians of “Punjab and Delhi” who had received such threats had allegedly given the money demanded by the fraudsters.

“Such people will be exposed in the investigation,” he said.

Technical analysis of the mobile phones revealed that the numbers used to make the threat calls were registered in Middle Eastern countries and operated from Pakistan.

It was also learned that the persons involved are cyber fraudsters, who are not associated with any terrorist organisation, he said. “They were trying to take advantage of the current situation by using the recently published/publicised criminal incidents in Punjab,” said Vij.