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Gangster attempts to die by suicide in police custody in Gurugram

Kaushal snatched a hair trimmer from a barber who was called to cut his hair at the CIA office at 1pm on Monday, and tried to slit his own throat

Updated on: Oct 4, 2023, 01:24:59 IST
By , Gurugram
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Gangster Kaushal, 38, attempted to die by suicide while in police custody at the crime investigation agency (CIA) office in Palam Vihar on Monday, police officers aware of the matter said on Tuesday. According to the police, Kaushal attempted to slit his throat with a hair trimmer but was spotted and saved by members of the CIA team.

On August 26, 2019, the special task force (STF) of the Haryana police had arrested Kaushal at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi. (HT Archive)
On August 26, 2019, the special task force (STF) of the Haryana police had arrested Kaushal at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi. (HT Archive)

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According to the police, Kaushal snatched the machine from a barber who was called to cut his hair at the CIA office at 1pm on Monday. He has been in their custody since Friday to investigate a murder that occurred in New Colony on May 29, 2020.

A case under Section 309 (suicide attempt) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Kaushal at the Palam Vihar police station on Monday, said officers.

Although Section 309 is still in effect, the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 (enacted July 2018) has restricted its application and decriminalised such attempts.

“On Monday morning, Kaushal complained of a head and beard allergy. We summoned a barber from a nearby shop and requested that he trim his hair, but he snatched the machine. He attempted to slit his throat, but two of the police officers on the scene saw him and snatched it from Kaushal,” said Joginder Singh, inspector, CIA, Palam Vihar.

Even though nothing untoward happened, Kaushal is being monitored, said Singh. “On September 29, we took Kaushal on production remand from Bhondsi jail. At his request, we called Azad Singh of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, who runs a salon in the Palam Vihar area. We had instructed him not to use any sharp objects for trimming. In order to die by suicide, Kaushal suddenly raised both hands, snatched the barber’s machine, and struck around his neck. Due to the sudden attack on himself, Kaushal suffered injuries on his neck,” he added.

According to the police, on May 29 in 2020, Vikas Dureja, alias Anda, a close aide of gangster Binder Gujjar, was gunned down by a dozen armed men in Gurugram’s Feroz Gandhi Colony. The crime unit of Palam Vihar had taken Kaushal on remand in this murder case.

On August 26, 2019, the special task force (STF) of the Haryana police had arrested Kaushal at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi. According to the police, there are numerous cases of murder, extortion, blackmail, and threat calls made through international numbers against Kaushal; he has more than 200 cases registered against him in Haryana.

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Police said Kaushal used internet-based calling to ensure his whereabouts could not be traced. He used voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) to make extortion and threatening calls. He was using virtual numbers, i.e., without a directly associated line, to make the businessmen feel they were getting calls from outside India.

  • Leena Dhankhar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Leena Dhankhar

    Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More