Shooter with links to Bishnoi gang apprehended from west Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) A wanted shooter linked to Lawrence Bishnoi gang was apprehended in a joint operation by Delhi and Rajasthan Police, an official said on Sunday.

The shooter, Pardeep Sharma alias Golu (23), a resident of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested from west Delhi's Uttam Nagar on January 16, he said.

Police said the accused was arrested after crime branch intensified efforts to track active gang members following a rise in organised crimes in Rajasthan.

A senior police officer said, "Sharma is wanted in multiple cases registered in Rajasthan. He was suspected to be actively involved in organised crime activities and supplying illegal arms to members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang." He said the accused was arrested in an extortion and firing case in Rajasthan in May 2025. In March last year, the gang members allegedly tried to extort Rs 4 crore from a businessman in Jawahar Nagar area of Ganganagar. When he refused to pay, Sharma and associates allegedly opened fire at his residence in May.

Following the incident, a case was registered at Jawahar Nagar police station, Sharma and other accused were arrested, and later released on bail, he said.

After coming out on bail, the accused allegedly resumed criminal activities and began supplying arms and ammunition to gang members in Rajasthan, the senior officer said.

He said police later arrested four associates of the gang with a large cache of illegal weapons. On their interrogation, Sharma was identified as the source of the recovered arms, leading to the registration of another FIR against him.

"In view of a rise in organised crimes, extortion and armed violence, the crime branch intensified efforts to track active gang members operating across Delhi and neighbouring states. A team traced Sharma and after sustained surveillance, he was arrested. He was handed over to Rajasthan Police for further interrogation," the officer said.

Police said the accused was in contact with Bishnoi gang members operating in Rajasthan. PTI BM RUK RUK