SWAT personnel with sophisticated guns trigger scare at upscale Gurugram condo

The gangster, Jitender Mann alias Gogi (28) of Alipur in Delhi, had taken up a 3BHK flat in the condominium with three other wanted men. The stand-off ended without a shot being fired, but did rattle the residents.

The residents of Mapsko Casabella in Gurugram’s Sector 82 woke up to a shock early on Tuesday when more than 60 personnel of the Delhi Police surrounded their condominium in search of a gangster. Little did they know that their neighbour of five months was a most-wanted man with a reward of Rs 6.5 lakh for his arrest.

In a photo shared by a resident of Mapsko Casabella, police personnel are seen gathering at the upscale condominium early Tuesday morning to arrest four gangsters. (SOURCED)

The gangster, Jitender Mann alias Gogi (28) of Alipur in Delhi, had taken up a 3BHK flat in the condominium with three other wanted men. The stand-off ended without a shot being fired, but did rattle the residents.

Dharmveer Singh Lochab, president of resident welfare association of the condominium, said that they were shocked to hear loud noises around 4am on Tuesday. Armed policemen had surrounded Tower B-4 that had 19 floors. Gogi was on the second floor, apartment 201.

“The residents had started calling me and rumours spread within minutes that there were terrorists in the society. Some of the residents gathered in the park and started calling others to join them as they were fearing for their lives. Many had locked themselves in their apartment and did not even open their windows fearing gunshots,” he said.

The police operation lasted for nearly two hours and the residents said it was the most afraid they had been since they moved into the society.

“I had met these men several times at the clubhouse and we used to workout in the gym. They were leading a rather respectable life pretending to be businessmen who had a packers and movers firm. They used to only come out in the mornings and evenings, and otherwise remained indoors. They said they operated from their apartment,” said one of the residents on condition of anonymity.

Another resident said he heard the police warning them over a loudspeaker from the ground to surrender. “Police were asking them to not to shoot as it was a residential area, and that they did not want any residents to be harmed.”

The residents panicked more when they dialled mobile numbers of security guards of the society and found them switched off. “After trying a few numbers, I called the estate manager who apprised me of the situation and informed that all the mobile numbers were asked to be switched off as it was a secret operation,” said Lochab.

Around 5.15am, the police team were seen getting three men down through the staircase with bags. It was revealed later that they contained weapons and ammunitions. All lifts of Tower B had been shut at 3.30am.

Pune-based Asif Mirja Ali, the owner of the apartment where Gogi lived, said that in his knowledge, he had rented it out in October last year to a “businessman”. He said he learnt about the incident through the WhatsApp group of the condominium.

“I had rented out the apartment through a broker and never met the tenant. However, all the formalities were in order — the police verification was done and a rent agreement was signed and copy of identification cards and residential proofs were submitted before renting out,” he said.

The lease was signed by a person named Anil Singh, who lives near Jind in Haryana, according to the copy of documents shared by a police official privy to the matter. When contacted, Singh said he had sublet the apartment to a friend. “I sub-let the apartment to one of my friends. I never went to check who had occupied it as the rent was paid on time and they never bothered me. Also, I got no complaints from the apartment owner,” he said.