Mewati gangs give police sleepless nights

They carry dead animals which they use to stop policemen on their hot pursuit; they wear jeans and T-shirts to hide their rural background and they commit robberies in hired vehicles. They are the notorious criminals from Mewat, 60 km from Delhi, who are giving Delhi Police a harrowing time.

They carry dead animals which they use to stop policemen on their hot pursuit; they wear jeans and T-shirts to hide their rural background and they commit robberies in hired vehicles. They are the notorious criminals from Mewat, 60 km from Delhi, who are giving Delhi Police a harrowing time.

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An alarmed Delhi Police have now prepared a list of 126 criminals hailing from this town and have shared it with their counterparts in Haryana. A booklet containing every detail of Mewati gangs has been distributed to the police chief of neighbouring districts during the inter-state meetings.

“We have identified the routes these criminals take. The state police need to restrict their movement. There are 20 small and big Mewati criminal gangs,” a senior police officer requesting anonymity said.

Mewati gangs were always there and in the early 90s, they used to run away with cattle.

“Ali Meo was the first prominent criminal of this village. Earlier, they used to travel in Tata 407s. Most of the criminals are in the age group of 16-26 years. With time, their looks changed and now they roam around in T-shirts and jeans to conceal their rural background. They now travel in SUVs, use Hindu names and talk in normal accent,” the officer added.

These criminals now directly negotiate with victims after stealing vehicles. “They call the owners and offer to return the vehicle for 50% of its cost,” he further said.

The crackdown on Mewati gangs first begun after their involvement was reported in Dhaula Kuan gangrape case in 2010.

Apart from 126 identified criminals, there are 19 other dreaded ones wanted in several cases. Mewati gangs have been involved in 100 robberies in Delhi.