Delhi Police nabs Bawaria gang member wanted in over dozen cases

The Delhi Police has arrested a wanted member of the Bawaria gang, who is an alleged interstate criminal and was on the run in more than a dozen cases, an official said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Sanjay alias Jhallu, a resident of Shamli in Uttar Pradesh, was traced to Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab, where he had been hiding to evade arrest, he said.

Sanjay, a proclaimed offender, is involved in 34 criminal cases across Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, including attempted murder, robbery, snatching, burglary, theft and Arms Act violations. He had also been convicted earlier in a snatching case registered at Adarsh Nagar police station, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said.

The accused had been actively running an organised crime syndicate with his associates while frequently shifting between UP, Haryana and Punjab to avoid detection. The Uttar Pradesh Police had also declared a cash reward for his arrest, he said.

Police tracked Sanjay’s movements for nearly two weeks. A raid was conducted on Sunday at his hideout in Mandi Gobindgarh, where he was apprehended, the DCP said.

During interrogation, Sanjay told police he began committing robberies and snatching incidents over a decade ago, along with associates from his village, operating across several states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh and parts of southern India.

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Police said he repeatedly resumed criminal activities after securing bail and stopped appearing in court, leading to multiple non-bailable warrants and proclaimed offender proceedings.

Several of the cases against him in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Muradabad and Amroha are under verification, he added.

Further investigation is underway, police said.