Haridwar, Uttarakhand: The Senior Superintendent of Roshnabad District Jail in Haridwar received death threats over WhatsApp, with the caller allegedly invoking the name of the ‘Lawrence Group’ to intimidate him, an official said.
A probe has been launched into the incident, with the Special Operations Group (SOG) technical team and cyber team working to identify and arrest the accused.
Haridwar SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar said on Sunday that the jail superintendent approached the police after receiving a threatening WhatsApp call followed by several messages.
“Yesterday, the Senior Superintendent of Roshnabad District Jail informed the police that he received a call via WhatsApp in which he was threatened, followed by several messages. He then submitted a formal complaint, based on which an FIR has been registered at the SIDCUL police station,” Bhullar said.
SOG And Cyber Teams Investigate Threat
Bhullar said the complaint involved a senior officer and that the name of a gangster had been invoked, following which specialised teams were roped in to investigate the matter.
“Since the matter pertained to a senior officer and the name of a gangster was invoked, the SOG technical team and the cyber team have been engaged. We have obtained substantial details regarding the individual who issued the threat, and efforts are underway to arrest him soon,” the SSP said.
However, Bhullar clarified that the investigation conducted so far has not established any link between the accused and gangster Lawrence Bishnoi or his group.
“However, in the investigation and probe conducted so far, the police have not found any such link. It is likely that he used the gangster’s name merely to intimidate and instil fear,” he said.
Threats Allegedly Linked To Woman Inmate
Roshnabad Jail Superintendent Manoj Kumar Arya said the threats appeared to have followed an incident involving a woman inmate, Sheela, who is lodged in the prison.
Arya said Sheela had allegedly misbehaved with a female deputy jailor and was reprimanded for her conduct.
He said her alleged husband, Himanshu, subsequently visited the jail on September 8 and later contacted him repeatedly.
According to Arya, Himanshu later sent threatening messages on WhatsApp, allegedly warning that he would kill and shoot the jail superintendent. He also allegedly sent a message referring to the “Lawrence group from Punjab”.
Arya said he informed the SSP and submitted a written complaint, following which the FIR was registered at the SIDCUL police station.