Gangsters use WhatsApp to demand extortion money

Just as peace starts returning to Karachi, a sudden emergence of extortionists poses a threat to the city’s stable security situation, a Geo News report said on Friday.

Extortionists have also adopted new ways to deliver threats, instead of sending threats to shopkeepers and traders on pieces of paper with extortion amounts, or even sending demands by short message service (SMS). A trader from the Old City area of Karachi complained to police on Friday after receiving a threat through an audio note on WhatsApp.

The gangsters demanded extortion money from the trader and threatened him with serious consequences if he refused to pay up the amount. The extortionists used a foreign number to send the threats, so it would be difficult to trace them.

The threat the trader received stated that the extortionists would kill him if he failed to meet their demand. When their first threat failed, the extortionists sent another message to the trader. The message stated: “We have the details of your whole family. You did not understand this way. Now, we will teach you in another way.”

According to the police, the extortionists belong to the Faisal Pathan group of the Lyari gang war. The trader has informed the police of the situation, and the Sindh inspector general of police has taken notice of the incident.