Haryana STF nabs wanted gangster at IGI airport after deportation from abroad

STF officials said Gaurav Gadoli worked for the Kaushal and Bambiha gangs and faces six cases, including extortion, attempted murder and Arms Act violations.

Haryana Police’s Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday arrested wanted gangster Gaurav Gadoli at Delhi’s IGI Airport after he was deported from Georgia via the UAE, officials said. They added that Gadoli had allegedly been operating organised crime networks across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi-NCR while hiding abroad.

Haryana STF nabs wanted gangster at IGI airport after deportation from abroad

STF officials said Gaurav, 27, a resident of Gadoli Khurd village in Gurugram’s Sector 37D, is one of the two brothers-in-law of incarcerated gangster Kaushal Chaudhary and is the 13th gangster deported from abroad this year.

Officials said Gaurav worked for the Kaushal and Bambiha gangs and has six cases, including extortion, attempted murder, Arms Act violations and organised crime, registered at Model Town police station in Rewari and Sector 50, Sector 10A, Bilaspur and Bhondsi police stations in Gurugram.

Inspector General of Police (STF) B Satheesh Balan said Gaurav assisted gangster Pawan Shokeen in making extortion calls using the “dabba calling” method.

“In this method, a wanted gangster from one country makes a VOIP call to an intermediary sitting in another country. The intermediary then uses another VOIP connection to link the gangster with a businessman in India. Both phones are kept on speaker so that the gangster can directly issue extortion threats,” Balan said.

He added that Gaurav also handled the Kaushal gang’s finances and recruitment. He allegedly fled Lucknow for Dubai on November 20, 2023, using a forged passport in the name of Sahil Yadav of Firozabad. He later worked as a visa agent in Dubai and as a food delivery executive in Georgia. Officials said a lookout circular and an Interpol Red Notice were issued against him with the help of central agencies. When he travelled to Georgia, authorities there denied him entry due to his wanted status and sent him back to the UAE, from where he was deported to India.

Separately, the STF sent a proposal to the Haryana DGP to announce a reward of $10,000 (about ₹9.5 lakh) each on four wanted gangsters, Himanshu Bhau, Rohit Godara, Randeep Malik and Anil Pandit, who are allegedly operating extortion rackets from abroad.