Delhi: Extortion racket busted at Tihar Jail, 2 aides of gangster held

NEW DELHI: An extortion racket allegedly being run from the Tihar Jail by gangster Saddam Gauri was busted after the arrest of his two associates from Uttam Nagar.
Police said that Gauri's gang was extorting petty criminals and local property dealers to establish supremacy in the area. The gang members were allegedly involved in a series of incidents of gunshots being fired in Mohan Garden. The men took instructions from Gauri and contacted other gang members via the chat messenger of a social media site to avoid scrutiny.
DCP (Dwarka) Anto Alphonse said that the two associates, identified as Sumit Datta and Paras Bhomia, were intercepted on Friday. The accused had opened fire on the police team, shooting at least half a dozen rounds. One of the bullets hit the bulletproof jacket of a cop before the men were nabbed.
During interrogation, Bhomia said that Gauri had instructed them to extort bootleggers and small businessmen, and threaten them with warning gunshots, if they did not comply. The men were also planning on attacking members of a rival gang who have been trying to intrude into their turf.
The cops said that Datta was allegedly involved in the murder of a rival gang member in Patel Nagar that took place a few years ago. He was arrested, but managed to secure bail. He was arrested again later in an attempt to murder case at Baljeet Nagar, but managed to get bail that time too.