Gangster Prince Khan’s operatives arrested in Palamu extortion case

Daltonganj: Two suspected operatives linked to gangster Prince Khan were arrested by Jharkhand Police in Palamu for allegedly attempting to extort Rs 1 crore from a jewellery businessman in Medininagar.

According to police, the accused sent WhatsApp voice messages to Ranjit Soni, owner of the Gold House jewellery store, demanding ransom in Prince Khan’s name. The messages also included death threats, with Khan believed to be coordinating the operation from a Gulf country.

Palamu SP Reeshma Ramesh said the complaint was lodged on December 21, prompting the registration of an FIR and the formation of a special team led by the Sadar SDPO. She noted that this was the first known case in the city where Prince Khan’s name had been used for extortion.

Following a tip-off, police raided an under-construction municipal corporation building near Congress Bhavan late on December 25 and arrested Mohammad Nazim and Murtaza Ansari, residents of Pahari Mohalla.

During the operation, police recovered two desi pistols, two live cartridges, mobile phones, an iron pipe, a receipt from the jewellery shop, along with a car and a motorcycle. The car was registered in the name of Nazim’s father.

Investigators found that Nazim had bought jewellery from the same shop about seven months ago, giving him inside knowledge of the premises. During interrogation, the duo admitted to repeatedly surveying the shop and sending a video of the location to Prince Khan days before the arrest.

The SP said Rs 24,000 had been deposited into Nazim’s account on December 22 to stage a firing incident near the shop to intimidate the trader. However, police arrested the accused before the plan could be executed.

Nazim is known to have a criminal background, police said, adding that efforts are underway to uncover additional links in the racket.

With inputs from IANS