Gangster accused of murdering patwari killed in police shootout

Bhudev Singh was wanted for killing 52-year-old Ishwar Singh, a government revenue official (patwari) of the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC).

Thirty-five-year-old gangster Bhudev Singh, alias Bhanwar, wanted in connection with several cases of murder, attempt to murder, dacoity, robbery and extortion, was killed in a shoot-out with the Gurugram Police in Manesar on Tuesday afternoon. His arrest carried a reward of ₹1 lakh.

File Photo of gangster Bhanwar Singh alias Bhudev who died in police encounter in Manesar village. (HT Photo)

The Manesar resident was also wanted for killing 52-year-old Ishwar Singh, a government revenue official (patwari) of the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), who had gone to check claims of alleged land grabbing at a disputed plot in Manesar on August 14.

The official was killed after the crops the accused had grown on the disputed land were destroyed on directions of the HSIIDC. The Supreme Court had transferred this piece of land to HSIIDC in its Manesar land scam judgment, dated March 12, 2018. On August 16, police arrested Abhimanyu (42) and Rameshwar (55), who revealed Bhanwar’s involvement in the case.

“Bhanwar was shot dead after he refused to surrender and started firing at the police,” police commissioner KK Rao said.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team, including sleuths of CIA-Palam Vihar, was conducting raids at suspected locations in their hunt for Bhanwar when they spotted the motorbike on which the accused and his associate, Ravinder alias Kallu, had been roaming for the last few days.

“We got a tip off that Singh was hiding at Kamal farmhouse in Sehrawan village along with one of his associates,” Manoj Kumar Verma, inspector, in-charge of CIA-Palam Vihar said, adding that a bike, two country made pistols, cartridges and liquor bottles were seized from the spot.

“Our informer had said the two men would arrive in the fields around 12.30pm-1pm on a motorbike. It was known that one of them was Bhanwar and the other would be his right-hand man Kallu. Both of them were suspected to be armed,” Verma said.

The farmhouse is located around 2km from NH-48, surrounded by the Aravallis. It has a small room which can be approached from two sides.

Bhanwar and Kallu were drinking in the veranda in front of the room when a team of 11 CIA personnel approached from the backside, surrounded the farmhouse and told them to surrender, Verma said.

“But the accused opened fire on the police team. They fired around six to seven rounds. In retaliation, we fired four rounds. Three bullets hit Bhanwar in the chest, right hand and left leg. The shoot-out lasted 10 minutes. In this commotion, Kallu managed to escape,” Verma said.

Kallu is a parole jumper and a history-sheeter.

“The police took an injured Bhanwar to Rockland Hospital in Manesar, where he succumbed to his injuries,” deputy commissioner of police (crime) Sumit Kuhar said, adding that the forensic team and senior officers inspected the spot and gathered evidence.

Bhanwar is survived by his wife and two children.

“Around 50 cases of loot, robbery, attempt to murder and murder are registered against Bhanwar in Gurugram. Beside these, criminal cases are registered against him in Delhi, Hisar, Sirsa and Rohtak for firing at the police (on three occasions) and vehicle lifting,” Kuhar said, adding that he was mostly active in Manesar.

In 2009, Bhanwar was convicted by a local court for firing at the police and he had been out on bail for the past few years.