Pune Police have begun a drive against all those who are keeping gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Dawood Ibrahim's images as display pictures (DPs) and even issuing extortion threats in their names, reported Time Of India. There has been a spurt in such incidents especially after murder of Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Baba Siddique on October 12. Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for Siddique's murder. Police are investigating more in this case.
TOI reported that Pune Police' social media cell has been keeping an eye on such activities and has found several such cases.
A prominent jeweller, a news reporter and another citizen who stays in Loni Kalbhor have reportedly received threats via e-mails purporting to be from the Bishnoi gang. It has been found that a youngster in Pune area kept Bishnoi's image as DP on his social media account.
“We are taking action against all those involved in using the gangsters’ images and threatening people for extortion,” said Joint police Commissioner Ranjan Kumar Sharma as quoted by TOI.
In addition to criminal prosecution, the police are also counselling those arrested as many of them are youngsters from poor families and are taken in by the 'glamourous' media image of these dons.
“The youth are influenced by the exhibited style and feardriven ‘respect’ the gangsters get. They are impressed by the gun-culture in the short videos and this makes them lean towards crime. They want to impress their friends too. Our social media lab is keeping aclose watch on such social media accounts and people downloading and putting DPs of gangsters,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (crime) Shailesh Balkawade. He was quoted by TOI.
“Sometimes, the DPs along with displayed messages pose a danger to social harmony,” he added.
Lawrence Bishnoi is currently in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat. There is a feeling of surprise among the members of the society as to how a jailed gangster is able to handle his gang and carry out criminal activities.
Dawood Ibrahim, one of the most wanted gangsters of India, fled the country and is now believed to be based in Karachi under the protection of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's spy agency.
