Gangster linked to infamous Delhi-NCR crime syndicate arrested from Gurugram

New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) The Delhi Police has arrested an alleged gangster and associate of the Manjeet Mahal gang wanted in multiple cases of murder and extortion, an officer said on Wednesday. The accused Lokesh (33) was arrested on July 12 by the Special Cell from Gurugram after a team laid a trap in Sector 29 following inputs on his movement. He was apprehended from the area around 7 am. Based on his disclosure, police also recovered a revolver with six live cartridges, police said. "Lokesh was associated with the Manjeet Mahal gang and has more than 20 criminal cases against him across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The charges include murder, attempt to murder, extortion, robbery, dacoity and Arms Act offences," the officer said. The Manjeet Mahal gang, founded by the eponymous now-incarcerated gangster and primarily active across Delhi-NCR (especially Najafgarh, Dwarka and Bawana), Haryana and Rajasthan, has been involved in organised crime for over two decades, dealing in contract killings, extortion, land grabbing, and arms smuggling. The officer said Rajasthan Police had announced a reward of Rs 20,000 for Lokesh's arrest, in connection with a 2019 kidnapping-robbery case registered in Bhiwadi. He had been evading arrest for several years in the case, in which he and his associates had allegedly abducted a man after he withdrew cash from an ATM in Bhiwadi in May 2019 and robbed him of cash, valuables and his SUV, the officer said. He is also an accused in the 2019 murder of businessman Amit Kochar in west Delhi's Vikaspuri after an alleged extortion demand was not met, police said. According to another case registered at Kapashera police station in southwest Delhi, Lokesh and other members of the Manjeet Mahal gang allegedly shot dead rival gangster Naresh Rana near Bijwasan in 2019, police said. Born in Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, Lokesh later shifted to Delhi and graduated before entering the crime world in 2014, they added. PTI BM ARB ARB