Kamal Ghorui
KHARGONE: Gunshots were fired at a trader’s house in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district after which the attackers allegedly demanded Rs 10 crore and claimed links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang through a social media post, police said on Thursday.The incident occurred on Monday night at Bhilgaon village under Kasrawad police station, around 50 km from the district headquarters. The trader, Dilip Rathore, and his family were in Indore at the time,and security has been deployed.District Superintendent of Police Ravindra Verma said a case was registered on Wednesday based on a complaint filed by Rathore’s son, Satyendra. He confirmed the firing and said all angles are being investigated.According to the complaint, Satyendra and his father later received threats via WhatsApp calls and voice messages from unidentified persons. The accused allegedly sent a video showing the firing and demanded ?10 crore, warning that the house would be blown up if the money was not paid.A voice call on Tuesday reportedly threatened to kill the entire family and claimed responsibility for the firing carried out the previous night.Police said multiple calls were also received from foreign numbers on Wednesday, but the family did not respond to them.After receiving the video, the family checked CCTV footage, which showed three masked men arriving on a motorcycle and opening fire at the house.Meanwhile, a social media post by individuals identifying themselves as “Harry Boxer” and “Arju Bishnoi” claimed responsibility for the attack and alleged links to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s crime network. The post also issued fresh threats to the trader’s family.Police said they are verifying the claims made in the post and are also probing possible connections with a similar threat reported recently in Ashok Nagar district.Dilip Rathore said he is currently out of station and that his family members are frightened. He declined to comment further.
