Delhi Police foil gang war conspiracy, 3 held with firearms in Bawana

Delhi Police averted a gang war by arresting three members of the Naveen Bali gang with arms and ammunition from a hotel in outer-north Delhi’s Bawana, an officer said on Saturday.

The accused were planning a killing as part of an ongoing rivalry between the Rajesh Bawania and Naveen Bali gangs, the officer added.

“On Independence Day, police noticed a suspicious motorcycle parked outside a hotel in Bawana for a long time. On inquiry, it was found that the owner had been staying at the hotel for three days,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Hareshwar said.

A police team searched the hotel room and found three men in suspicious circumstances with a pistol with 11 live cartridges and another pistol with three cartridges in their possession, he said.

The arrested accused were identified as Anzar Alam (20) and Ritik (20), both residents of Pooth Khurd, and Rajesh Kumar alias Sardar (28), a native of Gurdaspur, Punjab, he added.

“Further search on Anzar’s instance led to the recovery of another pistol, two magazines and 13 live rounds,” the officer added.

Police said a preliminary probe revealed that the accused were planning to avenge the killings of Ajay alias Bahadur in 2023 and Dharmveer alias Billu in January this year.

“Ritik was assigned to conduct a recce of the target, while Anzar and Rajesh were tasked with executing the killing. They were in constant touch with a gang leader, Himanshu Bhau, currently hiding abroad, who had also sent Rs 70,000 to support the plan,” the officer said.

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Investigators have also recovered mobile phones containing incriminating chats and a motorcycle used for recce, police said. The accused have no previous criminal record but are being interrogated for wider links, the DCP said.

A case has been registered at Bawana police station, and efforts are on to identify other conspirators, the DCP added.