Sangwan gang sharpshooter arrested from near Kakrola village in outer Delhi

During questioning, police said, the suspect allegedly claimed that he was in the advanced stage of planning an operation to murder one of his rivals during a court hearing

Delhi Police has arrested an alleged sharpshooter of gangster Kapil Sangwan’s gang, who was absconding after coming out on bail in a murder case in May this year, from near Kakrola village in outer Delhi.

Police said Deepak Dhankar is a key member of the Kapil Sangwan gang and has been involved in the killings of rivals in the Manjeet Mahal gang. (Picture for representation only)

Police said they also recovered a semi-automatic pistol and five cartridges from the possession of the suspect, identified as Deepak Dhankar (27), on Friday.

During questioning, police said, Dhankar allegedly claimed that he was in the advanced stage of planning an operation to murder one of his rivals during a court hearing. Police said the alleged operation would have been similar to the September 23 murder of Delhi gangster Jitender Gogi inside the Rohini court by two gunmen who posed as lawyers to gain entry into the court building.

Police said that on Thursday, they received a tip off about Dhankar’s plan to visit to Kakrola village.

“The information was that he would be in a Celerio car on Thursday afternoon. A police team laid a trap and started looking for him. At around 2pm, we spotted Dhankar in the car and signalled him to stop, but instead of stopping, he took out a pistol, pointed it at the police and tried to flee. However, we managed to intercept the vehicle and arrest him,” said a police officer aware of the details.

Police said Dhankar is a key member of the Kapil Sangwan gang and has been involved in the killings of rivals in the Manjeet Mahal gang.

The Manjeet Mahal gang is embroiled in a decade-long feud with the Sangwan gang. The two gangs, operating in parts of western and outer Delhi and Haryana, are involved in cases of robbery, extortion, land grabbing and contract killings. While Mahal is in jail, Sangwan is suspected to be managing the gang from outside India.

The special cell’s deputy commissioner of police, Jasmeet Singh, said at least eight people have died in the gang wars between the two gangs. “Dhankar was involved in the murder of Mahal’s father, Sri Krishan, who was shot dead near his house in Mitraon, Najafgarh, in January 2017. The killing was a result of Mahal killing Sangwan’s brother-in -law, Sunil alias Doctor, in December 2015,” said the DCP.