Extortion racket: Four arrested with 12 crude bombs in Chinhat

The official said the police team analysed CCTV footage from the area, gathered electronic and physical evidence and acted on a tip-off. from an informer.

: Four men accused of being part of an extortion racket and intimidating traders were arrested with 12 crude bombs near Kisan Path Link Road on Juggar Road in Chinhat on Saturday, police said.

According to police, efforts are underway to identify and arrest other members of the gang involved in the extortion racket. (For representation only)

A joint team of Chinhat police station and Surveillance team (East) arrested the accused identified as Gagan Singh alias Udit Narayan Singh (25), Sumit Maurya (19), Aditya Tripathi (19), and Rishabh Thakur (19) who were allegedly threatening local shopkeepers in Chinhat and demanding weekly extortion money, according to a press release issued by the police.

The gang’s activities had created panic among traders in the area, officials said. When shopkeepers refused to pay, the accused allegedly hurled country-made bombs to intimidate them, according to the police. According to police, efforts are underway to identify and arrest other members of the gang involved in the extortion racket.

Police said that all four accused have a criminal history. Gagan Singh, a native of Basti currently residing in Juggar, is named in two previous FIRs, including one involving explosives. Sumit Maurya, originally from Gonda, also faces two earlier FIRs. Aditya Tripathi, from Gorakhpur and living at Bhartiya Puram, is named in four FIRs, including one under the POCSO Act. Rishabh Thakur, a resident of Buddh Vihar Colony, is accused in three earlier cases, said the police department press release.

Following a complaint lodged at Chinhat police station on April 11, police registered an FIR under serious sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Explosive Substances Act, and the Criminal Law Amendment (CLA) Act, a police officer said.

Senior officers, including ADCP East Pankaj Kumar Singh and ACP Vibhuti Khand Radha Ram Singh, inspected the crime scene. Two teams were formed under the supervision of DCP East Shashank Singh to crack the case.

The official said the police team analysed CCTV footage from the area, gathered electronic and physical evidence and acted on a tip-off. from an informer. Based on these inputs, the police located and arrested the accused near Juggar road on Saturday.