Haryana Police arrest 2 wanted men for 2017 murder of Congress youth leader

In September 2017, Monu Joon, a local Congress leader of Bahadurgarh, was sitting outside a barber shop when six people shot him 12 times, the police said. Malik said the arrested duo, part of the gang, had allegedly killed him after he turned down their demand for Rs36 lakh as ‘protection money’.

A team of the special task force (STF) of the Haryana Police arrested two suspected gangsters, who were on the run after being accused of shooting a youth Congress worker in 2017, from Bahadurgarh on Tuesday morning.

STF officials of Haryana Police said the accused, Sunil, alias Lala, and Rakesh, alias Pradhan, alias Dant, are history-sheeters and members of an interstate gang that is operational in Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

According to STF officials, the accused, identified as Sunil, alias Lala, and Rakesh, alias Pradhan, alias Dant, are history-sheeters and members of an interstate gang that is operational in Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan.

The police said there were rewards of Rs1 lakh and ₹50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Lala and Pradhan, respectively.

Sonu Malik, a member of the investigating team that made the arrest, said that Lala and Pradhan were part of the gang that had allegedly shot a youth Congress leader in Jhajjar.

In September 2017, Monu Joon, a local Congress leader of Bahadurgarh, was sitting outside a barber shop when six people shot him 12 times, the police said. Malik said the duo had allegedly killed him after he turned down their demand for Rs36 lakh as ‘protection money’.

“Lala is a sharpshooter of the gang. His brother also runs a gang and together, they operated with other local gangs in Delhi and Haryana, including ex-wrestler Manoj Morkehri’s gang and Kranti’s gang,” said Malik.

The STF received a tip-off that the duo would be travelling to Bahadurgarh, following a team intercepted them underneath a flyover on Jhajjar road around 6.30am.

The police said the accused confessed to their involvement in at least eight criminal cases of extortion, kidnapping, attempt to murder and possession of arms in Bahadurgarh and Gurugram.

One case was registered against the accused for possession of weapons at Palam Vihar police station in Gurugram, the police said. An STF official, requesting anonymity, said that after the 2017 shooting incident, the accused had allegedly threatened Monu Joon’s brother.

“Lala used to be associated with a gang led by Anil Ganja, Jyoti Nandu, Birbal Kana, who are all lodged in different jails of Haryana,” said Malik.

The accused were produced at the district court of Jhajjar on Tuesday, and were remanded for four days in police custody. The accused are natives of Nuna Majra village in Bahadurgarh district of Jhajjar, the police said.

The police said the accused were booked on charges of attempt to murder and extortion.