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.

Updated on: Sep 3, 2019, 14:37:20 IST

Hindustan Times, Faridabad | By Leena Dhankhar

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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.

Also read: Gurugram’s most wanted gangster Kaushal planned a Canadian future

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More