Police trace Itwari bullion traders' extortion letters to Trimurtinagar postbox

Nagpur: Police have found an important lead in the probe into threatening letters demanding Rs 10 lakh each in extortion from eight bullion traders of Itwari. The letters were posted around ten days ago in a postbox in Trimurtinagar. From there they reached the traders through the Khamla post office and then the Itwari post office.

On October 30, a woman came to hand an envelope to Nehal Tinkhede, the proprietor of Durga Jewellers. In an examination of the CCTV footage of the establishment, the woman was identified as an employee of the Itwari post office. Police then checked the entire route taken by the mail.

Police are now going through the dump data of mobile numbers that were active around the Trimurtinagar postbox on October 20, 21 and 22. CCTV footage and the movements of suspects are also being examined. In this case, the activities of Gappu, a notorious criminal of Khamla, are also being watched.

Earlier, on September 15, the proprietor of Mahalaxmi Jewellers in Pratapnagar had also received a similar threatening letter. Police are matching the handwriting in the two letters to establish whether the same gang is behind both incidents.

The threats, received in the name of the alleged Lawrence Bishnoi gang, have caused panic in the bullion market. The traders have demanded strict action against the accused and are also preparing to meet the Chief Minister over the matter. In the threatening letters, the accused have claimed to have good relations with the Police Commissioner. However, police suspect the claim may have been made to instil fear among the traders.

The biggest question in the investigation now is whether the accused are actually linked to an organised gang, or are using the gang's name to frighten the traders.