Delhi Police Bust Goldy Brar-Linked Extortion Racket, Three Arrested

North Delhi Police have busted an extortion racket whose members allegedly threatened contractors and businessmen across Delhi-NCR in the name of gangster Goldy Brar, arresting at least three people on Friday in what investigators describe as a cross-border intimidation operation run with help from Dubai.

The breakthrough, reported on October 2, is significant because it targets a racket trading on the fear generated by one of India's most wanted gangsters — a name that has been invoked in a string of extortion threats across Punjab and Delhi in recent years.

The arrests

The operation was carried out by a team led by DCP Niharika Bhatt, Hindustan Times reported. The accused were identified in agency reports as Aarif alias Pistol, Mubarik alias Gullu and Nawab Ali alias Sonij, detained on October 1. Hindustan Times put the number of arrests at three, while news agency ANI reported four arrests in the case.

Police said the detained men were the on-ground operatives of the racket — the ones who would follow up the threatening calls and, when needed, carry out or threaten violence. The name 'Pistol' attached to one of the accused, investigators noted, was no coincidence: the group allegedly kept firearms ready to back up its demands.

How the racket operated

Investigators say the extortion calls themselves were arranged from Dubai and placed in a voice resembling Brar's, a tactic designed to strike fear into targets who would recognise the gangster's name from headlines. The targets were contractors and businessmen in Delhi-NCR — people with visible assets and a reason to pay quietly rather than risk a confrontation.

One of those targeted was Praveen Jain, a contractor associated with the BJP in North Delhi. Police claim they foiled preparations to open fire at his residence, suggesting the racket was escalating from threats to planned violence. A Rohini businessman was separately threatened with an extortion demand of Rs 1 crore, according to the reports.

Police said the gang procured its weapons from an arms dealer in Gujarat and routed them through Uttar Pradesh, and that a Dubai-based mastermind directing the operation has been identified. The Gujarat-to-UP arms trail, investigators believe, may connect to a wider supply network feeding similar rackets.

Who is Goldy Brar

Satinderjit Singh, better known as Goldy Brar, is a Punjab-origin gangster believed to be based in Canada and an associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. He is among India's most wanted fugitives, has been listed among the FBI's most wanted, and claimed responsibility for the 2022 killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala — the case that made his name feared across the country.

That fear is precisely what the Delhi racket was monetising, police believe: a call in Brar's name carries an implicit threat of real violence, and several businessmen are reported to have paid up before the gang was caught. Investigators are now trying to establish how many victims paid and whether the Dubai handler was in direct contact with Brar's network or simply trading on his name.

Police say the investigation is continuing, with the Dubai connection and the arms supply chain now under the scanner.