Haridwar: A case has come to light in which Manoj Kumar Arya, Senior Superintendent of the District Jail, Haridwar, was allegedly threatened in the name of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Based on a complaint regarding threatening phone calls and WhatsApp messages, the SIDCUL police have registered a case and begun an investigation. The accused is reportedly the husband of a woman currently lodged in the jail.
In his complaint to the Senior Superintendent of Police, Haridwar, the jail superintendent stated that he received a phone call from a man on his mobile phone at around 10:47 pm on September 11. After declining to speak at night and asking the caller to contact him in the morning, he received a WhatsApp message at around 11:24 pm in which the caller allegedly claimed to be associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi group. The accused reportedly made several calls on September 12 as well. When the calls were not answered, threatening messages were allegedly sent.
According to the complaint, the messages also contained threats concerning the woman lodged in the jail, with the allegation that she was being harassed during meetings with visitors. The caller also allegedly threatened to cause harm to the jail superintendent and the prison. He reportedly claimed to be associated with Lawrence Bishnoi.
The jail superintendent recorded a conversation during one of the phone calls. After listening to the recording, the woman lodged in the jail identified the caller as her husband, Himanshu Chadha. According to the superintendent, Himanshu regularly visits the jail to meet the woman. An examination of e-Prisons records also revealed that he had previously been incarcerated. According to the records, he was lodged in District Jail Dehradun from 2017 to 2019 and was subsequently transferred to Central Jail Sitarganj, from where he was released on December 13, 2022.
The jail superintendent has sought action against the accused, Himanshu Chadha, son of Shyam Lal Chadha. Screenshots of the alleged threatening WhatsApp messages, the audio recording and records related to jail visits have also been provided to the police.
Senior Jail Superintendent Manoj Kumar Arya said that the woman currently lodged in the jail had earlier behaved inappropriately with a deputy jailer. She was warned and instructed to follow prison rules and regulations. According to him, the woman’s husband had visited her two days earlier, after which he allegedly began issuing threats through phone calls and messages.
SIDCUL Station House Officer Ajay Shah said that a case had been registered on the basis of the complaint and that the matter was under investigation.
