Kala Rana, man behind Delhi's GTB hospital gunfight, deported from Thailand, nabbed

Rana, 28, is a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and was running criminal activities from Thailand. He escaped to Thailand in 2017-18 on a forged passport.

One of north India’s top gangsters, Virender Partap alias Kala Rana, an accused in at least four dozen criminal cases, was extradited to India and arrested on his arrival in India on Tuesday at the Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International(IGI) airport, police officials aware of the development said.

Kala Rana is suspected to be one of the planners behind the daring escape of Kuleep Mann alias Fajja from east Delhi’s GTB hospital in March 2021. Fajja was later killed in a shoot-out in Rohini. (HT Photo)

Rana, 28, is a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and was running criminal activities from Thailand. He escaped to Thailand in 2017-18 on a forged passport. Police said the members of the gang are involved in running extortion rackets and contract killings.

Deputy commissioner of police(special cell) Manishi Chandra confirmed Rana’s arrest on Tuesday.

Police said Rana also works for gangster Sandeep Kala alias Kala Jathedi, who was arrested last year from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Police said Bishnoi and Jathedi, who have a history of crimes such as murder, robbery, contract killings and extortion, have merged their gangs. The two men, until their arrest, were on the list of most wanted men by different state police forces.

Rana is suspected to be one of the planners behind the daring escape of Kuleep Mann alias Fajja from east Delhi’s GTB hospital in March 2021. Fajja was later killed in a shoot-out in Rohini.

Police said Rana carried a reward of ₹1 lakh declared by Haryana police in a 2018 murder case, in which he along with his accomplices had shot a jewellery shop employee in Ambala. The Haryana police had also named him as a co-accused in the January 20, 2022 Ambala cantonment shootout case in which two persons died. Last month, the Haryana police confirmed that Rana was arrested in Thailand between January 15 and 20 after the state police informed central intelligence agencies about his location in Bangkok. Following the input, the Bankok police arrested Rana.

Police said Rana has been named in cases registered across police stations in Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab and Chandigarh.

DCP Chandra said Rana’s foray into crime began through a friend, Monu Rana,a resident of Ambala, who had links with people known to Lawrence Bishnoi. “In 2014, Monu killed a man, Bhuppi Rana, with the help of Rana. He was jailed in that case where came in contact with Sampat Nehra, a close associate of Bishnoi,” the DCP said.

Sampat was last arrested in 2018 for threatening to kill actor Salman Khan.

Between 2017 and 2020, different police teams were looking for Rana. The first substantial information that he was hiding in Bangkok, came after Raj Kumar alias Raju Basodi, another member of the Bishnoi-Jathedi gang, was deported from Bangkok in February 2020. Basodi was named in several cases of extortion in Haryana. Basodi had told the police that Rana was hiding in Bangkok.

“ For the Lawrence Bishnoi-Kala Jathedi alliance, Rana was in charge of communication, finance and investment hub. He is also the person, who along with another fugitive Goldy Brar, suspected to be operating from Canada, was managing the extortion network. Over a hundred sharpshooter were at the beck and call of this gang. Their sharpshooter go to any extent to eliminate the targets,” said DCP Chandra.