How gangs and gangsters are inching closer to the heart of Delhi

– September 26: Naraina: Twenty rounds of bullets are fired at a luxury car showroom. The shooters leave behind a note: ‘Bhau Gang, Since 2020’.

– June 18: Burger King at Rajouri Garden, 9.30 pm: Three men on a bike walk up the stairs of the popular eating joint, fire 39 rounds at Aman Joon, killing him. Gangster Himanshu Bhau, Lawrence Bishnoi’s rival, claims responsibility for the killing.

– January 22: Sarai Kale Khan: Over a dozen shots ring out as a team of the Delhi Police pursue two men allegedly associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, wanted for the murder of an Air India crew member in Noida a week earlier.

A decade ago, Neeraj Bawana and Tillu Tajpuriya were among Delhi’s most wanted gangsters. They took on the names of their villages in North West Delhi and Haryana. These monikers not only declared their regional loyalties but also the areas they dominated.

But that was then.

Gangsters of today, in whose names extortion calls are made and to whom several young men swear allegiance, have little to do with the city. They have transcended the limits of rural Delhi and are closing in on the heart of the National Capital.

While Lawrence Bishnoi is lodged in the Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad, Himanshu Bhau is believed to be in the US. Bhau, police said, formed an association with gangster Navin Bali, a close associate of Neeraj Bawana. Bawana has an alliance with the Punjab-based Bambiha gang.

Police investigation has shown that the number of extortion and shooting cases in Delhi is rising, even as the shots are being called from inside jail and other countries.

It was Nadir Shah’s killing in September, in the upmarket Greater Kailash neighbourhood, that shook Delhi. It was a crime scene that most in Delhi would previously have seen only in movies or in CCTV camera footage of a crime that occurred in parts of Outer Delhi.

It is 10.30 pm. Shah — who ran a gym called Sharx in the E block of this posh neighbourhood — is talking to another man standing next to a black SUV on the road, 300 m away from the GK police station. Another man enters the frame and pumps several bullets into his tall frame. Seconds later, the assassin hops onto a motorcycle and flees.

The hit, police said, was ordered by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

Extortion calls in Greater Kailash and Sainik Farms that followed the incident were allegedly made by gangster Rohit Godara, an associate of Bishnoi.

Reports of shootouts, encounters and complaints of extortion have trickled in regularly from Bawana, Narela and Alipur in outer and outer north Delhi over the years. The gangs, however, are now expanding their activities to areas like Vasant Vihar, Greater Kailash, Rajouri Garden and Pitampura too.

According to Delhi Police data, 144 cases of extortion have been reported in the city till August this year, much like 2023, when 147 cases were registered. In 2022, however, the number was 119. In South Delhi, 14 cases were reported this year and 16 last year, as compared to 10 in 2022.

With men allegedly affiliated with Lawrence Bishnoi and his internationally-based aides Godara and Brar recruiting young men who are looking to make a name for themselves in the world of crime, there is no limit to their area of influence either.

On the night of October 12, Madhur alias Mota Armaan, accused of killing Shah in Greater Kailash, was chased by the Delhi Police Special Cell sleuths in Narela. He was shot in both legs and arrested, the police said. A few hours later, three men shot dead former MLA and NCP leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai.

The common thread connecting these two incidents was Lawrence Bishnoi. Both the shooters allegedly belonged to his gang.

In September, a Delhi businessman whose son, a bookie, was arrested in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, allegedly received a threat from Godara. On Diwali, the businessman’s associate Akash Sharma and his nephew were gunned down in Shahdara’s Farsh Bazar.

Motive, modus operandi

The aim of the gang to inch closer to the heart of Delhi, according to the police, mostly is extortion. They target businessmen and indulge in violence when they don’t comply.

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang is not alone.

Besides Lawrence Bishnoi, Godara and Brar, the police said that gangs like UK-based gangster Kapil Sangwan’s Nandu gang and Jitendra Gogi gang, among others, are following similar modus operandi in Delhi, resulting in an increase in cases of extortion being reported in the city.

An officer of the Special Cell said the members of the gangs usually fire a couple of rounds outside a home or a shop to threaten major businessmen of an area.

As per the police, it is not that the ground presence of these gangs has increased. There are more “shooters-for-hire” juveniles being approached and used by them.

According to the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) chargesheet against Bishnoi, his gang hires shooters and new members using social media. “They upload posts on criminal/terrorist activities on social media, attracting new members, who (send requests seeking) to join the gang… The gangs then scrutinise their requests and shortlist members,” it alleged.

“The activities of gangs in Delhi have increased because they no longer rely on traditional shooters for hire or even gang members. They target people who are either from low-income groups or are juveniles, and provide them with ammunition for one-off shootings. The price is anywhere in the range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 for a warning shot, depending on the expertise of the shooter,” said a senior officer with the Delhi Police.

“Lawrence Bishnoi isn’t in contact with any of these shooters, and operates via Brar and Godara. They are both international fugitives. Their presence outside the country and lack of any regular link with hired shooters makes these shootings difficult to control,” the officer added.

However, no one gang continues to rule without a challenger. In the case of Lawrence Bishnoi, it is the Bambiha gang.

The Bambiha gang, named after its founder and slain gangster Davinder Bambiha — who was gunned down in 2016 — has been active mostly in Punjab and Haryana. This gang was never directly operating in the Capital, a Special Cell officer said.

This, a Delhi Police officer said, changed after the death of Davinder. The gang was taken over by gangster Kaushal Chaudhary and his associate Amit Dagar. Their rivalry with the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate, which led to the Bambiha gang allegedly killing Akali Dal leader Vicky Middukheda in 2021, started their association with his rivals in Delhi, the Neeraj Bawana-Navin Bali-Himanshu Bhau syndicate, a police officer said.

On October 26, two members of the Bambiha gang opened fire outside a businessman’s house in Pitampura, and demanded Rs 10 crore. The shooters were arrested on October 29.

“Usually, Bambiha gang members are not directly involved in extortion demands in Delhi. However, they have started to operate through the Bhau and Bawana alliance,” an officer said.

Encryption apps

A major tool for jailed or fugitive gangsters to hire and direct shooters are end-to-end encryption apps. On August 23, shots were fired by alleged shooters of Kapil Sangwan’s Nandu gang outside Singla sweet shop in Tilak Nagar. The police said the gangsters had demanded Rs 2 crore. “Sangwan was in touch with shooters throughout via an app, instructing them from the UK. He was telling them when and how to open fire,” an officer said.

According to the police, juvenile shooters are usually arranged for the gangs by middlemen and financiers, who also arrange for the weapons. “We are trying to track the financiers and second and third rung men in the hierarchy of these gangs… We have been able to identify some,” said a senior officer.

A senior officer further said that the juveniles are a major hindrance in controlling such crime. “The gang leaders convince juveniles that because of their age, they won’t be prosecuted like adults. They would rather be celebrated,” he added.

The officer insisted that there “has been an overall reduction in arms distribution networks over the years”.

On Tuesday, in a major crackdown on gangs and their operations, the Delhi Police apprehended over 1,200 people with alleged associations to notorious gangs. Among them, around 700 were arrested. An officer had said those detained and arrested were associated with multiple gangs including those led by Lawrence Bishnoi, Neeraj Bawana, Kaushal Chaudhary, Tillu Tajpuriya, Kala Jatheri, Manjeet Mahal and Kapil Sangwan.

Reliance on juveniles, youths

A senior officer said that with the right-hand men of gangsters going in and out of hiding or operating from abroad, their reliance on juveniles and youngsters in awe of them would continue to increase. “The glamorisation of weapons on social media and the ability of gangsters to make contacts from jails are the major challenges,” the officer added.

Former additional commissioner of police (Crime Branch) Ashok Chand said, “Every gang lord begins his career with activities that do not immediately attract harsh police action. Once they amass wealth, they use it to protect themselves and their associates.”

In response to a detailed questionnaire on the rising threat of gangs, particularly to South Delhi businessmen, operating out of jails and abroad, Special Commissioner (Perception Cell) of Police, Sagar Preet Hooda said: “Delhi Police is cognizant of all these issues and is committed to work towards keeping Delhi safe… detection of all reported crimes and sincere prosecution of the involved criminals.”

Another feature of the recent gang-related activities has been alliances forged between gangs, the police said, mostly inside the jail. One of the reasons is to maintain control and avoid rebellions. Abdul Nasir, a dreaded gangster in Delhi-NCR, saw his gang being taken over by one of his trusted lieutenants, Hashim Baba. Similar fear plagues most jailed gangsters, said police.

“Since Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba joined forces, after meeting in Tihar in 2021, gangsters Neeraj Bawana, Cheenu Pehelwan and Himanshu Bhau have also come together. This has helped them get a wider reach and demand extortions from across Delhi,” an officer said.

Sunil Kumar Gupta, who served as a jailer, legal adviser and spokesperson at Tihar, said gangsters are able to maintain their contacts despite being held in maximum security prison.

“All notorious gangsters, who are maximum security prisoners, get a time slot for meeting family and friends… We aren’t allowed to record their conversations,” Gupta said. “They also talk in code language to send out information to their associates”.

Gupta claimed the connivance between the prison staff and the gangsters in jail is also a factor because contraband — such as cellphones, weapons, and other communication devices — is smuggled to them from outside jail premises. “No matter how hard you try, the phones will reach the gangsters somehow,” he added.

Gupta also pointed out that threats from gangs create fear among jail staff. “The Tamil Nadu Special Police (TNSP), as far as I know, is equally scared for their families and their lives. Thus, they turn a blind eye.” The TNSP is a security agency that guards inmates at Tihar Jail.

A Tihar Jail spokesperson, in response to Gupta’s observations, said, “The Tamil Nadu Special Police team does regular checks of the jail staff, cells, and inmates for mobile devices. If we receive any information on jail staff helping the inmates, we take strict action against them. Our staff also keeps a vigilant eye out for any contraband that may have entered the jail premises. Every jail staff member is thoroughly checked before they enter the jail compound.”

On how high-security inmates are able to convey their messages to their associates outside Tihar Jail, the spokesperson said, “Inmates in Tihar are allowed to visit and talk to their family and friends twice a week. They are also given phone call privileges, subject to good conduct. As per rules, jail authorities cannot record or listen to these conversations.”

Tihar jail officials categorically denied that the proverbial call was coming from inside the house. “We have jammers on the ground floor and also a tower jammer that blocks all phone signals… it would be impossible for inmates to relay orders to the outside world, even if they managed to smuggle in phones,” said a senior jail official.

“If calls were made from inside Tihar, we ask the police to provide us with call record details… the time and location from where the call was made, who they called… The absence of such records and the fact that the police haven’t yet come to us for any action, says a lot,” he added.

“We conduct regular checks of the jail staff, we also check inmates’ cells… of course there have been instances of connivance, but we have taken strict action in such cases,” he said.

The official gave details of alternative methods jailed gangsters could use to relay their messages. “…when prisoners go out of the premises for court hearings, they can relay their message through the people they know. They could also ask another prisoner who is going for a court hearing to pass on their message… there are countless ways this can happen,” he said.