Ranchi, March 15: Prince Khan, once a minor player in the narrow alleys of Dhanbad’s Wasseypur, has transformed into a notorious figure synonymous with fear across Jharkhand. Operating from locations as far as Dubai and Pakistan, he orchestrates violent acts, including shootings at restaurants near Ranchi’s airport and threatening prominent businessmen with virtual calls. His targets span from Dhanbad to Ranchi, Bokaro, Jamshedpur, Chatra, and Palamu. Despite the Jharkhand police’s efforts to curb his reign of terror, they have largely been unsuccessful.
Three years after Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice against him, Khan remains unfazed. Reports indicate that his hideout has shifted from Dubai to Punjab in Pakistan, where he not only continues his extortion racket but also poses a significant threat to India’s security. The police are now in the process of declaring him a terrorist.
During the assembly’s budget session, the opposition leader, Babulal Marandi, criticized the government, stating, “Prince Khan operates his extortion empire from places like Dubai and Pakistan. In the past year alone, there have been nearly 60 incidents of extortion and shootings, yet the police merely cite his foreign location as an excuse. If the state police were to take strict action against even ten individuals, no one would dare to demand extortion from across the seas.”
BJP legislators Ragini Singh, Raj Sinha, and Manoj Yadav also highlighted incidents linked to Khan’s terror. Recently, his associates shot and killed a man at a restaurant in Ranchi’s airport area. While the police were investigating, Khan sent an audio message to the restaurant owner, threatening that the police could not harm him and that failure to pay the demanded extortion amount would result in murder.
Just three days later, he demanded a ransom of one crore from the operator of the renowned Jai Hind Pharma in Ranchi. In a recent video posted on social media, he threatened Suresh Kumar Singh, an official at BMW (Bansal Metal Works) in Bokaro’s Balidih industrial area, for extortion. In 2021, while the police were searching for him in connection with a murder in Dhanbad, he successfully fled the country using a fake passport.
Investigative reports reveal that he exploited loopholes in the passport office and initially established a base in Dubai. However, as pressure from ATS and international agencies increased, he relocated to Punjab, Pakistan, where he runs an impenetrable empire of “virtual crime” through his “Major” (code name for his associates).
Khan’s methods resemble those of a dark web thriller. Instead of making direct calls, he uses internet calling and virtual numbers. He sends threat calls or audio messages first, and if his demands are unmet, his associates resort to shootings or bombings at the targeted establishments. Immediately after the incidents, he releases videos on social media, openly challenging state IPS officers.
Last year, Ranchi police arrested several of Khan’s associates, revealing that the gang was receiving weapons and ammunition from Pakistan via drones through Moga in Punjab. Although ATS and Jharkhand police have imprisoned over 50 of his associates in the past year, the real challenge lies in extraditing the mastermind who continues to orchestrate death and extortion from his secure hideouts. Last week, Jharkhand’s DGP Tadasha Mishra held a high-level meeting, granting police a “free hand” to take stringent action against Khan’s associates.
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