Dehradun: Police have registered a case and started an investigation after the senior superintendent of Haridwar district jail was allegedly threatened through phone calls and WhatsApp messages by a man who claimed links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
An FIR has been registered at the SIDCUL police station against Himanshu Chaddha, identified as the husband of a woman prisoner currently housed in Haridwar district jail, following a written complaint by Senior Jail Superintendent Manoj Kumar Arya.
As per the complaint, Arya received a call from an unknown number at approximately 10.47 pm on September 11. He refused to talk at that hour and told the caller to contact him on phone the next morning.
Around 11.24 pm, the caller allegedly sent Arya a WhatsApp message claiming links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The man is said to have placed multiple calls the following day and sent intimidating messages after the officer did not pick up.
The accused reportedly threatened to cause harm to Arya and the jail establishment over the way the woman inmate was being treated, and claimed he had “stayed with Lawrence”, the complaint states.
Arya recorded one of the calls. On hearing the recording, the woman inmate identified the voice as that of her husband, Himanshu Chaddha, who had visited her frequently while she was in custody.
Jail records indicate Chaddha was confined in Dehradun district jail between 2017 and 2019 before being shifted to Sitarganj Central Jail. He was released on December 13, 2022.
Arya handed over screenshots of the WhatsApp chats, audio clips and visitation logs to police while demanding action against Chaddha.
‘She Instigated Him’
Talking to The New Indian Express, Arya said the woman inmate had misbehaved with a deputy jailer after being brought to prison and was reprimanded for violating jail rules.
“Her husband came to meet her two days ago. During the meeting, she instigated him, following which he began repeatedly threatening me through calls and messages,” Arya said.
“He claimed to be associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. I submitted a written complaint to the Haridwar SSP seeking action. Police have registered a case and are investigating,” he added.
SIDCUL Station House Officer Ajay Shah said a case has been registered and police are examining the call recordings, messages and other evidence as part of the investigation.