Delhi cops foil gangsters’ carjacking, extortion plans

The arrested men were identified as Sunny alias Praveen, 25, from Sonepat in Haryana, Pravesh alias Ashu, 20, from Qutabgarh in outer Delhi, and Prince alias Sunny, 18, from Katewara near Bawana in Delhi

Three members of jailed gangster Sandeep aka Kala Jatheri’s gang were arrested on Sunday from Rohini Sector-34 in outer Delhi, where they arrived on a stolen motorcycle to rob a car at gunpoint, police said on Monday.

According to police, they needed a stolen car to execute an extortion plan in Qutabgarh near Bawana in the next few days. (Representative image)

According to police, they needed a stolen car to execute an extortion plan in Qutabgarh near Bawana in the next few days, as instructed by their leader and his close jailed aide Priyavart Kala, police officers aware of the matter said, adding the motorcycle they were riding was found stolen in January from Delhi’s Budhpur.

Police recovered three firearms and 19 cartridges from the three men and said their arrest not only averted an armed carjacking they were to execute on Sunday, but also foiled their extortion plan. The arrested men were identified as Sunny alias Praveen, 25, from Sonepat in Haryana, Pravesh alias Ashu, 20, from Qutabgarh in outer Delhi, and Prince alias Sunny, 18, from Katewara near Bawana in Delhi.

“We have taken custody remand of the arrested men to collect information about their extortion and carjacking plans and if more people were part of the plans. Their initial interrogation revealed that they had received directions from Kala Jatheri and Priyavart Kala to execute a ransom/extortion plan in Qutabgarh,” said a police officer, who asked not to be named.

Until his arrest in July 2021, Sandeep alias Kala Jatheri topped the list of the most wanted gangsters in Delhi and its adjoining states such as Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab for his alleged involvement in nearly 40 crimes such as dacoity, robbery, extortion and attempt to murder – 15 of which were registered in Delhi. He carried a reward of ₹7 lakh on his arrest. Jatheri was arrested along with Anuradha Chaudhary, a 37-year-old “woman don” from Rajasthan.

Born in 1984 in Sonepat, Jatheri escaped from the Haryana Police’s custody in Faridabad, after seven of his associates stormed the prison van carrying the gangster to Bhondsi Jail from the Faridabad court on February 1, 2020. It was alleged that Jatheri’s escape was planned by his key associates Lawrence Bishnoi, Sube Singh Gujjar (both presently in different jails) and others. Bishnoi and some of his key aides were accused of allegedly masterminding the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.

Before the arrest of Jatheri, there were many incidents of firing at the offices of property dealers and businessmen in outer and southwest Delhi areas over extortion demands. In some of the cases, the alleged attackers had dropped or handed over slips containing names of Jatheri and Bishnoi and threatening the targets of dire consequences if their extortion demands were not fulfilled.