Close aides of slain Gurugram gangster Sandeep Gadoli held

Gurugram, Jan 17 (IANS) Four close aides of slain gangster Sandeep Gadoli, who were allegedly planning to kill the policemen involved in last year's shootout killing of Gadoli, were arrested by the Haryana Police Crime Brach in Rohtak, police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the four members of the Gadoli gang -- Dinesh alias Sonu, Monu alias Popi, Deepak alias Deepu and Ravikant -- were arrested near Industrial Model Township (IMT) in Rohtak and five pistols, cartridges and a car were seized from their possession.

Gadoli's family claims that the Gurugram Police had murdered Gadoli on the behest of a rival gangster-turned-politician Binder Gujjar, who is lodged in Gurgaon jail.

A team of eight policemen, headed by Sub-Inspector Pradhuman Yadav, had reportedly shot Gadoli in Airport Metro Hotel in Andheri area of Mumbai on February 7.

Gadoli was there with another accused and his alleged girlfriend, Divya Pahuja.

The police said the four were planning to kill the policemen involved in the allegedly staged shootout and also gangster Binder Gujjar.

"We are grilling them in police remand. Five pistols, cartridges and a car were seized from those arrested," a senior police officer said.

Gadoli's family on September 1 finally claimed Gadoli's body, which had been lying in Mumbai's J.J. Hospital morgue since the shootout.

During investigation, Mumbai Special Investigation Team (SIT) had booked five policemen, including PSI Yadav, for staging a shootout.

Following a three-month investigation, the SIT told the Supreme Court in May, that the FIR lodged by the first informant PSI Yadav was false and the shootout was found to be fake.

The SIT informed the Supreme Court that it had altered the original charge, including that of attempt to murder against Gadoli, and instead invoked sections relating to murder, destruction of evidence, punishment for false evidence, giving false information to public servant, conspiracy along with relevant sections of the Arms Act against the five policemen and three others.

Divya and her mother Sonia Pahuja were also arrested.

On October 18 last year, four persons killed Binder Gujjar's elder brother Manish Gujjar, a liquor trader, in Gurugram and injured his driver and a close aide in an apparent gang war.

Gujjar, a liquor trader, was on his way to his shop to collect cash whe he was attacked.

Later, slain Gadoli's brother and a few others were arrested in connection with the murder.

Gujjar's another close aide and gangster Mahesh -- alias Attack -- was also shot dead by his rival Kaushal and his accomplices on September 21, 2016 near Jharsa Chowk here.

Kaushal was reportedly close to gangster Gadoli.