Nagpur police say Bishnoi-gang threat letters to jewellers are a local prank, not gang work

Police in Nagpur have concluded that the threat letters sent to bullion traders in the city in the name of Lawrence Bishnoi are the mischief of someone in Nagpur itself. According to police, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has no connection with the letters.

Police drew this conclusion from the language of the letters and the information that emerged during the investigation. They believe it is the act of a local criminal, and say the writer is possibly a petty criminal at the local level.

Earlier, on September 15, a letter was sent to a bullion trader in the same area through an autorickshaw driver. The driver had been given a box of sweets and Rs 100 and asked to deliver the letter. In that incident, a trader within the limits of Ranapratap Nagar police station received a threat letter. Police examined the similarities between the two incidents, the language of the letters and the handwriting. On that basis, they have concluded that the letters in both incidents were written by the same person.

In the latest case, eight small envelopes were put inside one large envelope and posted from the Trimurti Nagar post office on October 21 to a single bullion trader. The eight letters were addressed to eight different bullion traders. They made extortion demands with threats, and also carried some references to the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Going by the style of the letters, their contents and the handwriting, police say it is someone's prank and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang is not behind it.

Police are currently searching for the unidentified accused who sent the letters. Their estimate so far is that the same person may also be behind the letter sent through the autorickshaw driver on September 15.

The threat letters received in Lawrence Bishnoi's name by eight bullion traders in Nagpur's Itwari area were found in the police investigation to have been posted from the Khamla area of Nagpur. The traders received the letters by post on October 31. They said each bullion trader should send Rs 10 lakh, or face a fatal attack like the one on Tiger Shroff.

A case has now been registered at Tehsil police station. Police have assured the bullion traders that the accused will be arrested soon. No arrest has been reported so far.

Meanwhile, police deployment has been increased in Nagpur's bullion market following the threat. At a recent meeting with police, the traders had demanded stronger security. As a precaution, police presence has since been increased in the bullion market in the Itwari area.