Property of ₹33.20 crore belonging to criminal gangs attached since commissionerate system, say police

Aimed to break the economic backbone of different gangs operating in the district, the Gautam Budh Nagar police, after the introduction of the commissionerate system

Aimed to break the economic backbone of different gangs operating in the district, the Gautam Budh Nagar police, after the introduction of the commissionerate system on January 14 this year, have so far attached properties worth over ₹33.20 crore till August 31. The crackdown is being carried out mainly under Section 14(1) of the Gangsters Act, which allows attachment of illegal properties in order to effectively curb operations of gangsters, mafias and criminals and their associates, police officials said.

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According to commissioner of police (CP) Alok Singh, following the directions of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on crackdown on organised crime, the district police have demolished unaccounted property worth ₹33,20,1528 allegedly belonging to gangsters Sunder Bhati, Anil Dujana and their accomplices.

“The most recent attachment is related to Sunder Bhati and his associate Satveer Bansal in Ghanghola village, where a 650 square meters piece of land, which was originally allotted to the panchayat of the area for a pond and was illegally captured after which the gangsters built a structure on it. The construction on the land was unauthorised and the claimant is already booked under the Gangster Act; we are legally empowered to attach the property. We have also ensured construction will not be resumed in the future,” he said.

Singh also said that the police have been keeping a constant watch on the gangsters – who are presently behind the bars. “We have inputs that these criminals are trying their best to trap petty criminals in the lure of the lucre for furnishing their bail bonds. They are also reportedly luring them to join their gangs. We are compiling details of criminals who have recently furnished their bail bonds and are out from jails. These men are under our radar,” said the district police chief.

Giving details of properties attached from gangsters who were allegedly involved in the Shahberi twin building collapse incident, Singh said that as many as 19 criminals were involved in it. “We have attached the properties worth over ₹20 crore under Section 14(1) of the Gangsters Act,” he said.

On the other hand, sources in the special task force (STF) said that despite being shifted to different jails to avert gang wars, the gangsters have allegedly yet not given up their business of manpower contract, extortion and contract killing. “They have become very smart now and have started exploiting religious sentiments of the common people. Sunder Bhati, who is presently lodged in Hamirpur jail, is said to get built a place of worship worth over ₹10 crore. His goons are also reportedly running hotels and lodges,” said a senior STF official, on grounds of anonymity.

At present, Anil Dujana is lodged in Banda jail and his main rivals – Sundar Bhati and Singhraj Bhati – are lodged in Hamirpur jail. Bhati gang’s other members, Balram Thakur and Randeep Bhati, are in Unnao and Basti jails, respectively. Dujana gang’s Vikas Pandit and Yogesh are lodged in the Sitapur jail.