Gurugram: 13 get life term for killing liquor trader in ’16 gang war

The court of additional district and sessions judge Sunil Chauhan found all 13 accused guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act

A sessions court in Gurugram on Tuesday sentenced 13 individuals—including the brother of deceased gangster Sandeep Gadoli—to rigorous life imprisonment in the 2016 murder of liquor trader Manish Gujjar, alias Pappu, in what police said was a fallout of gang rivalry and a bid to capture a lucrative liquor business in the region.

Police said the motive for the murder was linked to the ongoing gang rivalry between Sandeep Gadoli and Binder Gujjar, as well as the accused’s alleged attempt to take over Gujjar’s liquor distribution business. (File photo)

According to police, the murder took place on the night of October 18, 2016, when 42-year-old Manish Gujjar, elder brother of gangster Binder Gujjar, was shot dead at his liquor shop on Old Railway Road, New Colony. Gujjar had gone to the shop to collect money when a group of armed men opened fire indiscriminately, killing him on the spot. His friend Liyakat Ali and driver Sukhbir also sustained multiple bullet injuries during the shootout.

The court of additional district and sessions judge Sunil Chauhan found all 13 accused guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act. “The court sentenced rigorous life imprisonment and a ₹50,000 fine to all the convicts, including Brahm Prakash, brother of gangster Sandeep Gadoli, under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC,” said Sandeep Kumar, public relations officer of the Gurugram police.

He added, “The court also held them guilty under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of IPC and sentenced them to an additional 10 years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of ₹25,000 each. Further, three convicts—Dinesh, Kuldeep, and Pawan Kumar—were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and fined ₹10,000 each under Section 25(1) of the Arms Act. All sentences will run concurrently.

Police said the motive for the murder was linked to the ongoing gang rivalry between Sandeep Gadoli and Binder Gujjar, as well as the accused’s alleged attempt to take over Gujjar’s liquor distribution business, Shiv Shakti Wines, which operated in Gurugram and other districts.

Sandeep Gadoli, a key rival of Binder, was killed in an alleged fake encounter by a Gurugram police team in a Mumbai hotel on February 7, 2016. Binder Gujjar is currently lodged in a jail in Mumbai in connection with that case. Binder allegedly colluded with members of the Gurugram police, providing them with information about rival Sandeep’s whereabouts in order to orchestrate his elimination through a staged encounter, officers aware of the case added.