Patna: A 55-year-old scrap trader from Pune, Laxman Sadhu Shinde, was lured to Patna under the pretext of a business deal, kidnapped, and later killed by a gang that has been targeting traders across multiple states, Patna police revealed on Tuesday.
Shinde’s body was recovered in Jehanabad, but remained unidentified until the evening of April 14. Following an intensive investigation, police have arrested 11 people, including a woman, in connection with the crime. The gang’s alleged mastermind, Sumit, remains absconding, with police raids ongoing across Nawada, Gaya, and Vaishali to locate him.
According to Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avkash Kumar, the gang operated a well-organised racket that targeted traders from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Bengaluru. The victims were contacted via email under the guise of representatives from a fake Gmail account created in the name of Coal India. Posing as potential business partners, the accused arranged meetings and lured the traders to Patna.
Shinde, who flew into the city on April 11 by flight 6E653, informed his wife around 7.30pm that he had been picked up by someone named Shivraj Sagi and was en route to Jharkhand for a scrap deal. That was the last she heard from him. Later that night, when she tried calling him again, someone else answered the phone claiming Shinde was in the bathroom. Subsequent attempts to reach him failed.
Police say Shinde was taken from Patna to Hilsa in Nalanda, where he was tortured in an attempt to extort money. He died during the ordeal. The gang reportedly extracted Rs 90,000 from him before his death. His death led to the unraveling of a larger extortion network.
Among those arrested is Ranjit, believed to have been instrumental in targeting scrap dealers, using insider knowledge to make the offers appear credible. The victims were abducted in a vehicle owned by Vibit Kumar, the uncle of the absconding gang leader, Sumit.
SSP Kumar said the gang had forcibly kidnapped at least six other traders and extorted large sums from them—Rs 30 lakh from one victim and Rs 7 lakh from another. The traders were held for one to two days and released after the money was transferred via UPI.
Hilsa’s Navadih area served as the gang’s operational base. “They tortured the victims after bringing them here and transferred the extorted money digitally. This is the first time such a gang has come to light in the region,” the SSP said, adding that efforts are being made to identify and reach out to other victims who have not come forward yet.
