Behind the bust: How Pune cops crack AI-driven Bishnoi gang extortion racket targeting bizmen

PUNE: Criminals are silently mastering the art of using AI in their trade to have a digital edge over the sophisticated cyber police force.A mobile messaging app that leaves no digital footprint has made inroads into the underworld. Extortionists are thriving on a subscription-based call application. It routes normal calls through various servers.Pune police recently claimed to have unearthed a sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered extortion network allegedly operated by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang members after investigating a series of ransom threats to four businessmen in the city over the past two weeks. They received extortion calls and messages demanding Rs2 crore to Rs50 crore.

The Pune police crime branch cracked the cases after arresting three gang members and detaining a 17-year-old minor. The arrested accused have been identified as Pavan Prakashram Barad (24) and Satyaprakash Kaluram Shilora (25), both hailing from Hanumangarh in Rajasthan, and Ravikumar Rajendrakumar Jangda (33) from Sirsa in Haryana. The minor was detained from Bathinda in Punjab.The arrested trio worked in different industrial units in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. They fired four bullets at a steel manufacturing unit at Mantwardi on Pune-Saswad road on June 18 after demanding Rs 50 crore in extortion from the unit’s owner.Three sophisticated foreign-made pistols and 10 cartridges were recovered from the trio in the net and the minor. Their cellphones were seized.Additional commissioner of police (crime) Tejaswi Satpute told TOI, “The suspects were found using a mobile messaging application that does not leave behind any digital trace of calls or messages. It was used to communicate among the gang members.”The investigation also revealed that the suspects relied heavily on technology to conceal identity and evade law enforcers. “They used a subscription-based calling application. It uses AI and routes normal calls through various servers across the globe before connecting them to their intended targets,” deputy commissioner of police (crime) Gauhar Hasan said.“Analysis of the seized cellphones showed that the gang members communicated among themselves through an encrypted messaging platform. They used the paid subscription-based calling application to contact their victims. This was done to evade surveillance by law enforcement agencies, particularly the police,” Hasan said.“The gang also exploited AI tools to generate and deliver threatening voice calls and messages, making it difficult for victims to identify the callers. The calls were made in Marathi though only a few of the accused knew the language. These appear to be AI-generated voice prompts that sounded like recorded messages,” Hasan said.Satpute said, “The investigation so far has revealed that Ravikumar, who worked in an industrial unit in Handewadi, was linked to Aarzoo Bishnoi and other members of the Bishnoi gang. He collected information on potential targets and shared it with Aarzoo and Shubham Lonkar.”Aarzoo is the brother of arrested gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Lonkar is a Pune-based operator of Bishnoi gang. His whereabouts are not known after he was booked in Baba Siddiqui murder case.