Police intensify crackdown on gangster networks as youths get lured into crime

The Haryana Police have escalated their efforts to curb gangster activities in the region, arresting three youths in two separate encounters in Hisar district on Thursday. These arrests, linked to criminal gangs, reveal the troubling trend of youths being recruited by gangsters operating from jails or abroad to bolster their illegal activities.

Notorious gangs such as the Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar gang and the Himanshu Bhau-Kala Khairampuria gang are reportedly targeting youths, particularly from the Hisar region, to carry out extortion, shootings and other criminal operations.

The first arrest was of Ajay, alias Aman, from Bhaini Amirpur village, for his involvement in the January 4 murder of a youth. His accomplice, Rahul from Petwar village, was also apprehended. Rahul is believed to be related to an accused involved in the November bomb blasts outside two clubs in Chandigarh, allegedly orchestrated by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to instil fear.

In a second encounter near Chaudhariwas village, the Special Task Force (STF) of Rohtak arrested Yash, a resident of Khewra village in Sonepat. Yash’s two accomplices, Sandeep Dudi of Bachra and Pradeep of Gorchi village in Hisar, managed to escape. Yash and his associates are suspected members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

In a similar crackdown last year, Haryana Police shot and injured three gangsters, including Ashish alias Lalu of Kharia village, Sunny of Kharar village in Hisar and Vicky of Rindhana village in Sonepat. They were involved in the June firing at a Mahindra showroom in Hisar, where they demanded a Rs 5-crore ransom. The trio was later killed during an encounter in Sonepat on July 13.

The murder of JJP leader and trader Ravinder Saini in Hansi on July 10 further highlighted the growing gangster influence in the region. The main accused, Vikas of Hansi, was arrested after an encounter and revealed to be the mastermind behind the crime.

Bajrang Dass Garg, president of the Haryana Vyapar Mandal, pointed to the rising drug abuse as a major factor contributing to youth involvement in criminal activities. He warned that gangsters continue to extort money from traders and shopkeepers and called for stronger measures to protect the business community.

Police officials, however, have declined to comment on the specific links of the arrested suspects with the gangs, citing their ‘no name, no fame’ policy aimed at discouraging gangster activities. A police official stated that publicising these links could attract more youths to criminal networks, which is why it is essential to avoid sensationalising these arrests.