UP’s gangster wanted in dacoity and robbery cases in Delhi, Punjab held after 14 years

Delhi Police arrested Arjun Prasad, a 44-year-old gangster wanted for 14 years for multiple dacoity and robbery cases in Delhi and Punjab.

The Delhi Police’s crime branch on Sunday said it arrested a 44-year-old Uttar Pradesh-based gangster declared as a proclaimed offender (PO) wanted for 14 years in multiple cases of dacoity and robbery registered in Delhi and Punjab.

UP’s gangster wanted in dacoity and robbery cases in Delhi, Punjab held after 14 years

Police identified the suspect as Arjun Prasad alias Arjun Pasi. He was arrested on Saturday from a newly-developed colony in Janki Nagar in UP’s Gonda, his hometown, they said, adding that Prasad operated a gang involved in heinous crimes.

Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said that the central range team of the crime branch launched its operation to arrest Prasad following specific inputs regarding his movement in Gonda.

He was wanted for several high-profile cases of dacoity and robbery registered under the jurisdictions of Punjabi Bagh and Moti Nagar police stations in Delhi, and Model Town police station in Ludhiana, Punjab, said police officials.

“Through meticulous technical surveillance and covert ground reconnaissance, the team on Saturday tracked the accused to a newly developed colony in Janki Nagar, Gonda district. He had abandoned his village to establish a new identity and evade law enforcement. Following a strategic raid, the team successfully arrested him,” said Yadav.

Prasad’s interrogation revealed that in 2012, he masterminded a major house robbery involving the looting of nearly 400 grams of gold at a Punjabi Bagh bungalow after tying the limbs of the house owner and her son, and stuffing cloth into their mouths, the DCP said.

In 2016, Prasad orchestrated theft of jewellery worth ₹25 lakh and a licensed pistol by planting a minor as domestic help, he added. “The case remained ‘unsolved’ until his arrest. In January 2018, he and his gang members committed a dacoity in Ludhiana and looted ₹40 lakhs in cash and 1.25 kg of gold. His gang members include, Jawahar alias Bachchau, Karan Pasi, Raju and a goldsmith named Anil Soni,” he said.

Sharing the modus operandi, Yadav said, the gang would strategically plant a member, often a minor, as domestic help to gain access to the target household. The insider would provide critical data regarding the house layout, location of valuables and the residents’ routine.

The gang would strike at night, using weapons to overpower occupants before looting the premises. Stolen jewellery items would be funnelled through Soni, who acted as the primary receiver of stolen property in Gonda,” the DCP added.

Police said Prasad is a habitual offender with nearly 20 criminal cases registered against him across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab. His record includes charges under dacoity, robbery, burglary, the Arms Act and the Gangster Act. While he had previously been arrested under the UP-Gangster Act by the Gonda Police, he had remained at large in the specific dacoity cases of Delhi and Punjab until this intervention.