Four associates of wrestler Sushil Kumar held for Dhankad’s murder

Police said the four are members of the Kala Asauda-Neeraj Bawana gang, which also points to Kumar’s possible links with jailed gangster Neeraj Bawana and the apprehension that Dhankar’s murder may lead to a gang war.

Four associates of wrestler Sushil Kumar were arrested from outer Delhi late Tuesday in connection with the murder of 23-year-old wrestler Sagar Dhankad at Chhatrasal Stadium on May 4, police said.

Police arrest four criminals, aide of wrestler Sushil Kumar wanted in PS Model Town murder case, in New Delhi, Wednesday, May 26, 2021, (PTI)

Police said the four are members of the Kala Asauda-Neeraj Bawana gang, which also points to Kumar’s possible links with jailed gangster Neeraj Bawana and the apprehension that Dhankar’s murder may lead to a gang war.

All four men are from Haryana and have been previously involved in serious crimes such as abduction, murder, rioting and robbery. They have been identified as Bhupender alias Bhupi,38, Mohit alias Bholi,22, Gulab aka Pehalwan,24, and Manjeet alias Chunni Lal,29.

Mohit and Gulab belong to Asauda village in Haryana’s Jhajjar, which is also the village of Rajeev alias Kala Asauda, their gang leader, who was killed by members of a rival gang on the court premises in Haryana’s Rohtak in 2017. As Bawana is also in jail, the gang was being led by Bhupender and Mohit, the police said.

Deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Pranav Tayal said the special staff team of Rohini district on Tuesday received information that four men, wanted for the murder of wrestler Dhankad, would be coming to Ghewra village to meet an associate named Kala Sethi. The team laid a trap near Ghewra railway crossing and the four were caught after they were identified by an informer, he said.

The four were present at Chhatrasal Stadium in north-west Delhi where Dhankad was allegedly beaten to death in a brawl involving two groups, one of which, according to the police, was led by two-time Olympic medallist and world champion wrestler Kumar.

“Their preliminary interrogation revealed that they were called to Chhatrasal Stadium on the night of May 4 by one Kala alias Sethi, who is still on the run. The four disclosed that they knew the purpose for which they were called there and so they came prepared with weapons,” Tayal said.

On Wednesday, their custody was handed over to the crime branch team which is investigating Dhankad’s murder. The team also has custody of wrestler Kumar and his associate Ajay Sherawat.

During interrogation, DCP Tayal said, the four men disclosed that on the intervening night of May 4 and 5, they had gone to Chhatrasal stadium around midnight in two vehicles.

“They were actively involved in the crime. On hearing police sirens, they fled the stadium, leaving behind their vehicles and weapons. The four have narrated the sequence of events leading to Dhankad’s death and details of the other persons involved in his murder,” the DCP added.

After fleeing the stadium, the four split up and were hiding in remote villages in Haryana. They had switched off their cellphones to avoid detection. One of them had recently procured a new cellphone, which he was operating only for virtual calling through a secure app and using a Wi-Fi connection. They were using their confidants to pass messages to each other, said an investigator, asking not to be named.

Police said that while Bhupender is involved in nine cases of kidnapping, murder, robbery, cheating, rioting and other serious crimes, Mohit and Manjeet have five and four cases against them, respectively. Gulab has previously been involved in two cases, they said.

Bhupender’s interrogation, the DCP said, revealed that he became Rajeev Kala’s associate in 2000 and committed several crimes with him. In 2011, Bhupender went to jail in a double murder case and remained there till February 2021. After his release, he was reviving his gang to take revenge of Kala’s murder. He was being helped by the key associates of jailed gangster Bawana, the police said.