30-min chase, gunshots: How gangster who shot Faridabad Cong leader was caught

Sachin Kheri was Haryana gangster Kaushal’s right-hand man, Palwal’s superintendent of police Narender Bijarniya said.

Sachin Kheri, a close aide of a Haryana gangster Kaushal involved in the killing of Congress leader Vikas Chaudhary, was arrested after a chase near Sekri in Faridabad past Monday midnight, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.

Sachin Kheri, most wanted gangster arrested from Faridabad. (Sourced)

Sachin Kheri, 35, was injured in the encounter that followed and taken to hospital.

Faridabad’s commissioner of police, KK Rao, said they received information at around 12:15am that Kheri was in Faridabad area. A team of Faridabad and Palwal police were put on alert and special investigation team were rushed to the area.

“At 1am, one motorcycle rider was asked to stop but he tried to speed away and upon chasing he started firing on the police team. The SIT team, lead by inspector Amit Sheokand, followed and warned him but he continued firing at the police team and running. In self-defence, police team fired and the person was injured in the leg. When the team surrounded him he revealed that he was Kheri,” Rao said.

Palwal’s superintendent of police Narender Bijarniya, who is a member of the special investigation team (SIT) formed to arrest Kaushal, said Kheri was Kaushal’s right-hand man and that the gang was led by him.

“He has been involved in at least 200 cases of extortion, murder, and kidnapping, among other heinous crimes in the region. He was behind the murder of Haryana Congress leader Vikas Chaudhary after he denied to pay ₹1 crore protection money to Kaushal. He had shot dead Chaudhary outside a gym in Sector 9 on June 27 this year,” Bijarniya said.

The police said he has been on the run since 2012 and there is a reward of ₹1 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

“Kheri used to work in close coordination with Kaushal and handled his Hawala transactions and was operating from Faridabad. He was involved in carjacking cases in Palwal, Pataudi and Gurugram. He had recently demanded extortion money and threatened the person to pay ₹50 lakh in Pataudi and had shot at him but he escaped,” Bijarniya said.

Kheri used to operate from Faridabad, Gurugram, Jhajjar and Rewari, police officials said.