Juveniles, gangsters among six held in Bareilly firing on Disha Patani’s home

Six suspects linked to the attack on Disha Patani's home have been arrested, following the deaths of two gangsters in Bareilly encounter.

Two days after two gangsters were gunned down in a police encounter in Ghaziabad for allegedly firing outside actor Disha Patani’s Bareilly home, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday said they had nabbed the remaining four accused, bringing all six suspects tied to the case into custody.

Family members of the two accused killed in encounter arrive at the post-mortem house in Ghaziabad. (Sakib Ali/HT photo)

According to investigators, the latest arrests included two men and two juveniles linked to the Rohit Godara gang, which, along with Canada-based fugitive Goldy Brar, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Police had said on Thursday that the firing was part of a coordinated attempt to intimidate the Patani family.

A senior Delhi Police officer, who asked not to be identified, said that the probe revealed that a day before the September 12 incident, two minors, aged 16 and 17, had been sent to Bareilly for reconnaissance. They allegedly fired a single round outside Patani’s residence in the dead of night on September 11. “Nobody noticed at the time, but neighbours later discovered the cartridge,” the officer said.

The juveniles were tracked to Delhi and picked up by the Special Cell on Friday morning.

On September 12, gangsters Ravinder and Arun allegedly returned to the same spot and fired more than a dozen rounds at Patani’s house. Both men were killed in a police encounter near Tronica City in Ghaziabad on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Police arrested two more suspects on Friday.

One of them, identified as Ramnivas alias Deepak alias Deepu, a resident of Rajasthan’s Bedkla village, was injured in an exchange of fire near the Kichha River bridge in Bareilly. Police said he attempted to attack them with a pistol before being shot in the leg and overpowered. During interrogation, he confessed to conducting recce and assisting the juveniles, officers said.

The sixth suspect, Anil Singh from Sonipat district, was caught near his home. Police recovered a pistol and a stolen bike used for reconnaissance from his possession. Investigators said Singh played a logistical role, while Ramnivas arranged motorcycles and coordinated movement of the shooters.

CCTV footage corroborated their involvement – Ramnivas was spotted arriving in Bareilly on the night of September 10, resting at a passenger shed near Jhumka Chauraha, and later appearing at a Sonipat petrol pump. Footage also captured the shooters refuelling at the same location before heading to Bareilly.

Police have since tightened security around Patani’s Bareilly residence, with round-the-clock surveillance in response to threats issued by the Godara-Brar network, officials aware of the updated security setup said, adding that said the crackdown for now appears to have neutralised the immediate threat, though both Rohit Godara and Goldy Brar remain fugitives abroad.