STF nabs 7 sharpshooters of Rohit Godara gang; two murder plots foiled

In a major crackdown on organised crime, the Sonepat unit of the Special Task Force (STF) has arrested seven sharpshooters and close aides of gangsters Rohit Godara and Navin Boxer. The arrests, made during a joint operation on Sunday night, foiled two planned murders that were to be executed in Zirakpur (Punjab), Chandigarh and Delhi. All seven were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody.

STF Sonepat SP Wasim Akram said, “The Sonepat unit of the STF was investigating a case registered in Charkhi Dadri against the Rohit Godara gang, and during the investigation, the team identified some names. The STF was closely monitoring and tracking the gang’s activities,” he said.

Acting on specific intelligence, the STF began tracking a youth, Rohit of Katwal village in Sonepat, who was in touch with the suspects. He was arrested on Sunday. “On his disclosure, seven accused, who were close aides of the Rohit Godara gang, have been arrested,” SP Akram added.

Those arrested have been identified as Rohit of Katwal village in Gohana (Sonepat), Mohammad Sazid of Saharanpur (UP), Manav Kumar of Khagaria (Bihar) currently residing in Jalandhar, Vikas Pal of Ludhiana, Happy Singh of Bootgarh village (Patiala), Jabarjang Singh of Patiala and Vijay Kumar of Kiloli village (Patiala).

Police recovered seven pistols, including five foreign-made and two country-made, eight mobile phones, 75 cartridges of 9mm, and 122 cartridges of .30 bore from their possession.

The SP said the accused have criminal histories. “The gang was actively connected with Rohit Godara, Virender Charan, and Navin Boxer, and they executed criminal activities on their directions,” he said. He added that Operation Trackdown has enabled Haryana Police to “actively attack criminals”, with the latest arrests emerging from this statewide campaign.

Notorious gangster Rohit Godara, a native of Rajasthan, is believed to be operating from abroad while his associates continue extortion, firing, contract killings and intimidation across Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan. The gang allegedly recruits youths through social media by glorifying gangster culture and offering money and opportunities overseas.

However, recent arrests have disrupted these recruitment channels. The SP said, “In the previous days, the STF had arrested scores of youths associated with these gangs, and now they were facing trouble in connecting more youths with them.” He said gangsters were scouting for new recruits inside jails.

“The STF Haryana is continuously working to break the backbone of the gangs and criminals’ network, and arresting the accused either in the state, country, or abroad, and no one would be spared,” he added.