NEW DELHI: Bike-borne shooters unleashed a hail of gunfire on a businessman’s car and house in Rohini in a brazen extortion attempt on Friday evening. The men fired over two dozen rounds, leaving the vehicle riddled with bullets.The shooting occurred days after the businessman of cardboard and real estate got an extortion call that demanded Rs 3 crore.Investigators believe the daring strike marks the resurgence of gangster Himanshu Bhau, signalling that his syndicate had returned to business following a brief hiatus. Bhau is believed to be in the US.Police are also probing if a local gang was trying to misuse Bhau’s name to extract money from the businessman. Sources, however, said that the modus operandi, marked by excessive use of bullets, was indicative of Bhau’s involvement.The incident – reported to police in a PCR call at 5.23 pm – left the blue Toyota Innova with a shattered front windscreen. The businessman escaped without any injury. Around 25 bullet marks were found at the spot.The groundwork for the attack seems to have been laid between Dec 26 and 29 last year when the complainant received multiple WhatsApp calls and voice messages from an international number. “A caller, identifying as a major gangster, demanded a substantial sum of money and issued threats,” a senior police officer said. The victim initially did not report the threats to the authorities, mistaking it for a prank.In the wake of the incident, the cops at the local Begumpur police station registered an FIR on charges of extortion and attempted murder. “Crime and forensic science laboratory (FSL) teams were dispatched to the scene to collect the empty cartridges and other evidence to identify the calibre of the weapons that were used,” a cop added.Bhau and his close aide, Sahil Ritolia, were declared absconders by a court, and a red notice was issued by Interpol against them. A request for their trial in absentia was also moved before the court, allowing the trial to proceed even in the absence of the accused.The cops tried to bring back Bhau and Ritolia for over two years. Bhau was briefly held in the US last year on a request by Indian agencies but was let off for lack of proven charges, sources said.Last Oct, 10 members of this gang were booked under MCOCA by the crime branch. Originally from Haryana’s Rohtak, Bhau was active in Delhi since 2022. He got a passport made on forged documents in 2022 and fled to Dubai, then to Portugal and now to the US.
