Gangster who jumped bail in 2019 shooting tracked down in Zirakpur; caught again: Police

NEW DELHI: Published on: Jan 10, 2024, 16:08:31 ISTBy HT CorrespondentPrefer HTon GoogleShare viaCopy link

NEW DELHI: Pratham Anand, an alleged gangster who jumped bail after his release on bail in 2019, has been arrested from Zikarpur town in Punjab’s Mohali district where he had been living under an assumed name, police said on Wednesday.

Pratham Anand allegedly told his interrogators that he led the attack on a gang member on a direction of the Sanju Meharban gang (Videograb/X/vikasjournolko)

Pratham Anand alias Tushar had been declared a proclaimed offender by the trial courts in 10 cases after he disappeared in 2019, said special commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav.

Four years on, he had changed his name to Shiv Raj and had grown a beard. Yadav said he had been frequently changing his address and was tracked down by a crime branch team that has been trying to locate criminals on the run.

Senior police officers said that the team of the crime branch’s western range-II came across information that Pratham Anand had been living in Zirakpur. The information was developed and his specific hideout was identified.

On January 5, a team led by assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Yashpal Singh and Inspector Pawan Singh raided his house and arrested him, said one officer who was aware of details of the police raid.

Police said Pratham Anand had about 30 cases registered against him.

On May 23, 2019, Pratham Anand and his associates were seen chasing and firing gunshots at a man in a widely-circulated clip of CCTV footage through a narrow lane in Jahangirpuri’s Mahendra Park. After his arrest on Friday, Anand told interrogators that he and his associates were hired by the Sanju Meharban gang to attack a rival gang member. Their target sustained multiple gunshot injuries but survived the attempt. An attempt to murder case was registered against him at the Mahendra Park police station, the second officer said.

“Five months later, Anand was arrested by the special cell team following a gunfight during which he fired seven rounds at the police team. He was again booked in a case of attempting to kill police personnel and sent to jail. After his release from jail, Anand never returned to jail and absconded,” the second officer added.