Delhi UPSC teacher ‘helped’ Lawrence Bishnoi gang threaten businessman, arrested

For years, Math teacher Amit Bishnoi was known in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar for helping students prepare for competitive examinations. Delhi Police now allege that the 35-year-old was living a double life — secretly gathering intelligence for an interstate crime syndicate linked to gangster Harry Boxer and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Last week, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Amit alias Rudra Pratap Singh, accusing him of conducting reconnaissance of a businessman’s office and passing videos and other details to Boxer, a key member of the Lawrence gang. Investigators alleged that Boxer used the material to threaten the businessman and demand Rs 10 crore as extortion payment.

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi (Photo enhanced using AI)

“The gang would often hire young men below the age of 20 to conduct reconnaissance and provide inputs about businessmen in Delhi and surrounding areas,” a police officer said.

However, in this case, police alleged that Amit, Lawrence’s old friend, became the informer. “Boxer assigned Amit the task of collecting information about the victim’s family, business and daily movements. The video recording was later used to intimidate the businessman during the extortion calls,” the officer said, adding that this is a common modus operandi of the gang.

‘Pay up or family will be killed’

According to another officer, the case came to light after a Mukherjee Nagar-based businessman began receiving WhatsApp calls from international numbers on June 15. The caller allegedly identified himself as Boxer and warned the businessman that he and his children would be killed if the money was not paid within a week.

Gangster Harry Boxer

To reinforce the threat, police said, the caller allegedly shared a video of the victim’s office, claiming the premises could be blown up if the demand was ignored. This, police said, convinced them that someone on the ground had conducted surveillance.

Following the complaint, Mukherjee Nagar Police registered an FIR on July 8. The investigation was subsequently transferred to a Special Cell team led by Inspectors Sanjay Kumar Gupta and Pankaj Chauhan under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Tyagi.

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Police said their probe led them to Amit. He was arrested on July 9.

Accused a BTech grad, UPSC aspirant

Police said Amit hails from Hisar in Haryana and has been living in Shalimar Bagh since 2018 while teaching mathematics at coaching institutes in Mukherjee Nagar. “He used to teach students preparing for competitive examinations such as the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination and Staff Selection Commission (SSC),” an officer said.

A B Tech graduate, Amit had earlier prepared for the Union Public Service Commission (UPCS) and SSC examinations in Mukherjee Nagar before taking up teaching.

According to investigators, Amit had several close friends from his college days in Punjab and Haryana, and came in contact with Lawrence through a common acquaintance in Haryana in 2014 and later established links with Boxer.

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Police said he is married and that his wife teaches at a college.

Police said they are trying to verify the extent of Amit’s association with Lawrence. They are also examining visitor registers at Tihar Jail and prisons in other states to determine whether he had visited Lawrence in custody.

When questioned about what prompted him to work for the gang, Amit allegedly told investigators that he had done so out of friendship with Lawrence. However, investigators are sceptical of this claim and believe he may have expected a share of the extortion money or had been promised financial assistance.

According to an officer, recent investigations and arrests have revealed that the gang constantly scouts for affluent businessmen who could be targeted for extortion.

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The Indian Express recently reported that the Special Cell, known for handling anti-terror and fugitive operations, had launched a drive to curb extortion rackets allegedly being operated by gangsters from abroad. Investigators had earlier suspected that employees working at banquet halls and hospitality establishments could be passing information about wealthy businessmen to criminal networks.