Three dozen gangsters held while celebrating release of criminal on bail

While five of them were arrested for carrying illegal weapons, the others were booked for violating social distancing norms.

Over three dozen members of the notorious Naveen Khati gang were caught while they were celebrating the release of one of their associates from jail on bail in west Delhi’s Dwarka in the early hours of Sunday, the police said.

The police did not find the released prisoner, identified as Sunny alias Nandi, at the venue.(File Photo (Representative Image))

While five of them were arrested for carrying illegal weapons, the others were booked for violating social distancing norms.

The police did not find the released prisoner, identified as Sunny alias Nandi, at the venue. They believe he was among three-four people who managed to scale the walls and escape.

Anto Alphonse, the deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka), said that 23-year-old Deepak was released from jail on bail on Saturday for the treatment of piles. He is accused of a double murder, attacking police personnel and robbery. He is to return to jail on August 30.

“To celebrate his release, members of the Naveen Khati gang held a cocktail party at a party lawn in Pochanpur village near Dwarka,” the DCP said.

“Though they are members of the Naveen Khati gang, they were planning to start their own gang—Nandi Gang,” the DCP added.

But the local police were tipped off about the gathering and surrounded the place. “When the gathering got to know of our arrival, they tried to scale the walls of the party lawn and escape. Three-four of them managed to escape while we nabbed 37 others,” the DCP said.

The police apprehended four of them for carrying automatic pistols and one for carrying a short hand gun, apart from a dozen bullets, illegally.

The men carrying the weapons were booked under the Arms Act and arrested. These five men have previously been involved in several criminal cases each, the DCP said.

As for the others, the police are verifying their criminal antecedents and for now have booked them for violating social distancing.

“We have also booked the owner of the party lawn for allowing the violation of social distancing norms under the Epidemic Diseases Act,” another investigator said.