Illegal property of gangster razed on DGP’s orders in Gurugram

The demolition followed statewide directions to act against assets of top criminals across Haryana districts.

The Gurugram police razed the illegally constructed property of notorious gangster Narender Rathi alias Sonu in Bhondsi on Monday. Officials said the construction was spread on a 1,000 square yards plot, which is of agricultural category. The plot has at least 10 feet high peripheral wall which is several inches thick and fixed with barbed wires on the top.

Police said the 1,000 sq yd construction had high fortified walls and barbed wire and was cleared in four hours. (HT)

Rathi, 39, is a history sheeter and has been booked for organised crime by running a criminal gang. The construction was made a few years back without acquiring any proper certificate from the department of town and country planning as well as by using proceeds of crime, officials said. No villagers ever complained against the illegal construction out of the fear of the gangster, police said, adding the demolition work was completed in four hours.

The action was taken on the orders of Haryana DGP OP Singh who has issued directions to demolish illegal properties of top history sheeters of every district across the state.

He had recently come out of jail in a kidnapping and extortion case registered against him at Bhondsi police station on July 18. A senior police officer said Rathi has 19 criminal cases of murder, extortion, attempt to murder, assault, kidnapping, liquor smuggling, land grabbing, attacking police personnel, arms smuggling and others registered against him.

An officer said the gang which Rathi operated was dismantled but he was continuously attempting to revive it by meeting suspects at various locations in Bhondsi, including inside his illegally constructed house.

Police said the DTCP was asked about all his properties, following which the one in Bhondsi came to fore. They said he had not taken any change of land use (CLU) certificate from the DTCP for construction of the house.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said that Rathi and his gang members had shot dead a rival named Ashok Rathi after barging inside his residence in Alipur village of Bhondsi on November 16, 2019.

“After the murder, he began committing organised crime and was operating his gang. Presently, he is on bail and his gang has been dismantled,” Turan said.