5 men arrested for drinking, flaunting guns on Hindon road

Police said that the prime suspect, Raja Chaudhary, 27, operates two gyms in Ghaziabad and the owner of the SUV seen in the video (or both the videos?), while the arms belonged to his two private security guards

Ghaziabad

Police with the arrested accused on Monday.  (Sakib Ali/HT PHOTO)

A day after two videos showing several men consuming alcohol and flaunting guns on the Hindon elevated road went viral, police on Monday arrested five people in this connection, officials said. Two police personnel were also suspended for neglection of duty.

On Sunday, police had lodged two FIRs against the suspects, some of whom also fired in the air, one of the videos showed.

Police said that the prime suspect, Raja Chaudhary, 27, operates two gyms in Ghaziabad and the owner of the SUV seen in the video (or both the videos?), while the arms belonged to his two private security guards.

The other arrested accused were identified as Chaudhary’s friends — Rohit Sethi, 29, and Akash Sirohi, 22 — and the two security guards, Santosh Thakur, 40, and Arun Chauhan, 33.

One accused in this connection was currently absconding, police said.

Meanwhile, the Ghaziabad police in a statement on Monday evening said that a head constable and a constable from Indirapuram police station were also suspended in connection with the incident as they were posted on duty on the elevated road and failed to prevent the incident.

The first FIR against the men was registered under sections 147, 148 and 149 for rioting, 341 (wrongful restraints) and also provisions of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act.

“This FIR was registered in connection with the first video in which the men were seen with glasses of liquor in their hands and dancing while flaunting weapons. The two guns seen in the video were of Chaudhary’s private security guards. Chaudhary operates two gyms with name ‘24 fitness’ at Kavi Nagar and Chiranjeev Vihar. The SUV and the guns have also been seized,” said Diksha Sharma, DCP (trans-Hindon).

“The two weapons are licensed weapons and we are sending recommendation for cancellation of their arms licenses.”

Police said that the second FIR was also registered under the provisions of the Arms Act against Chaudhary and guard Santosh Thakur after a second video showed a man allegedly loading a gun in his SUV and firing in air near Swarn Jayanti Park in Indirapuram.

The videos were latest in series of such incidents taking place on the 10.3km elevated road which is currently not under CCTV surveillance.