Rohit Godara Gang Case: ₹10 Crore Extortion Accused Brought to Vadodara

A man arrested in Delhi for allegedly extorting a Vadodara chemical trader in the name of the Rohit Godara gang has been brought to the city by the Crime Branch after a local court granted police seven days’ remand.

Kuldeep Ganeshdas Swami, a resident of Jayvihar Society, Baprola, Najafgarh, in Delhi, and originally from Kalyanpura, Bindvatan, in Rajasthan’s Churu district, was transferred to Vadodara Police custody via a transfer warrant once his remand in a separate Delhi drug case had ended. A Vadodara court subsequently granted the seven-day remand in the extortion case.

Swami was originally apprehended by a Crime Branch team led by PI Sanjay Gameti at Chandni Chowk, Delhi, while collecting a token amount of ₹10 lakh. Officials say the amount was part of a larger ₹10 crore extortion demand made to a chemical trader from Vadodara’s Chhani area. A search of his car during that operation had turned up heroin worth ₹4 crore, following which the Delhi Police first arrested him in the drug case.

Investigators to Probe Swami’s Gang Links

With Swami now in Vadodara Police custody, preliminary investigation indicates he had travelled to collect the extortion money at the behest of Mahendra Delana. Police are examining Swami’s links and network within the Rohit Godara gang, including how the gang obtained information about the Vadodara businessman, and who carried out the reconnaissance.

Suspicion Gang Is Run from Abroad; ATS Joins Probe

Investigators believe Godara has been running his gang from outside India since splitting from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Preliminary checks into the threatening call made to the Vadodara businessman suggest it originated from overseas.

Following reports that Delana had been making extortion calls in the name of the Rohit Godara gang, police have opened a separate probe into Delana. The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has now joined the investigation, a development that could eventually pave the way for action against Godara himself if sufficient evidence is gathered.

Farm Loss Led Swami to Delana, Police Say

According to police, the 31-year-old Swami is originally from Churu district in Rajasthan and was engaged in farming. After suffering a business loss of ₹50 lakh in 2022, he fell into debt and came into contact with Delana through social media.

Investigators said Swami used to be paid ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 for each extortion collection he carried out. He had also travelled to Amritsar on Delana’s instructions to procure drugs from an unidentified carrier, according to information gathered when the Delhi Police questioned him in connection with the ₹4 crore heroin seizure. The Vadodara Police are conducting further investigations into these financial dealings.

Who Else Is on the Gang’s Radar in Gujarat?

With the Gujarat ATS now part of the probe, investigators are working to establish how the gang got hold of the Vadodara businessman’s details and who scouted him as a target. Police plan to examine voice notes and mobile call records linked to the case.

The investigation will also look into whether other individuals in Gujarat are being targeted or kept under watch by the Rohit Godara gang. Police said preliminary findings suggest the gang uses social media platforms to identify potential extortion targets.