In the video call, Lawrence Bishnoi is heard demanding Rs 5 crore.
New Delhi:
Lawrence Bishnoi, currently one of the biggest criminals involved in multiple cases including engineering the firing near actor Salman Khan’s house, has been recorded trying to extort money from a Delhi-based man wanted in several criminal cases. The man in question is Kunal Chhabra, who is currently in Dubai. He has recorded multiple conversations with Lawrence Bishnoi including one of a video call — where he is purportedly heard demanding money and making threats — copies of which are now in possession of NDTV. NDTV cannot vouch for the authenticity of the videos.
The calls date back to May 2023 after which, on June 14, Kunal Chhabra had complained to the police. Lawrence Bishnoi, who has been in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, has been questioned by the police but it is not clear what action has been taken.
In one of the audio clips, Lawrence Bishnoi is heard saying that because of Kunal Chhabra, 10 of his men have been arrested. “Now you have incurred our enmity… We have suffered a lot because of you. Now our own people will take care of you”.
He also accused Kunal Chhabra of paying money to policemen, because of which the arrests were made. Chhabra denied he had done anything. “I did not give money to any policemen. I got a call, someone from your STF called from Punjab. he asked me that I got a call and why have I not complained. I said that I do not want to complain. I will also give you the number,” he is heard saying.
In the video call, Bishnoi is heard demanding Rs 5 crore, which Chhabra promised to pay once he returned to India.
Police sources said Kunal Chhabra had defaulted on the payment on the advice of his friend Nadir Shah, a gym owner from Delhi. On September 12 this year, Nadir Shah was shot dead in south Delhi.
A video from a nearby CCTV camera in Greater Kailash-1 showed him standing and talking to one of his associates when a man in a checked shirt walked up to them and started firing. He was hit six to eight times and was declared dead at a hospital. Sources said Lawrence Bishnoi wanted to send a message to Chhabra by killing Nadir Shah.
Police sources say Kunal Chhabra is an illegal call center mafia who is now wanted by the US federal agency FBI for allegedly cheating American citizens through his call centers.
Delhi Police’s IFS unit had raided many illegal call centers of Chhabra and arrested 12 people. A non-bailable warrant has been issued against him in connection with two cases. When he had registered the extortion complaint against Lawrence Bishnoi, he was already on bail in two cases.
The FBI requests came up later after which the Special Cell of the Delhi Police has also issued a lookout circular against him.
During their investigation, the Special Cell found out that Kunal Chhabra has made property worth several hundred crores by cheating American citizens through illegal call centers, sources said.
These details have been passed on to the Enforcement Directorate and action against him under the anti-money laundering laws has been sought.
