Ghaziabad Police have arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly issuing death threats to a resident by posing as a member of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang.The accused, identified as Anshu Prajapati, allegedly sent two threatening voice messages through WhatsApp, using a profile picture of Bishnoi to reinforce his claims. The Ghaziabad Crime Branch traced and arrested the accused on Tuesday.Prajapati is a resident of Amouni village in Faizabad district.

According to police, he had used a WhatsApp Business account to impersonate a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and intimidate people with threats of violence.The case came to light after Aarav Sharma, a resident of Vijay Nagar, received two voice messages from an unknown number on October 18, 2026. In the messages, the sender allegedly claimed to be associated with the Bishnoi gang and threatened to kill him.Following Sharma’s complaint, police registered a case against an unidentified person at Vijay Nagar police station under Section 351(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with criminal intimidation involving threats of death or grievous hurt.

Considering the seriousness of the threats, the Ghaziabad Crime Branch and the surveillance team launched an investigation.Using electronic evidence, the teams traced the mobile number and identified Prajapati as the alleged sender. He was subsequently arrested on Tuesday morning.During interrogation, Anshu Prajapati reportedly told police that he had moved to Pune in 2025 for employment at a company.While staying there with friends, he regularly used social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook,according to police.Investigators further said Prajapati became influenced by reels and other online content related to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.He subsequently created a WhatsApp Business account using his mobile number, put up a photograph of Bishnoi as his display picture and incorporated the gang’s name into his account details.The cops said the accused allegedly collected mobile numbers of people through social media and sent them threatening voice messages on WhatsApp.By claiming to be a gang member, he attempted to create fear among recipients and make his threats appear credible.The use of the jailed gangster’s photograph and the gang’s name on his WhatsApp profile formed part of the alleged impersonation, according to the police account.Prajapati remains under investigation, with police continuing to question him to establish the full extent of his activities and determine whether other people were targeted in a similar manner.Further legal action will follow as the investigation progresses.- Ends