The Special Cell of the Delhi Police on Saturday arrested Nafe Singh alias Mantri, notorious gangster and a key accomplice of jailed gang leader Manjeet Mahal. The police had declared a reward of ₹1 lakh for information leading to Mantri’s arrest.
Mantri, Mahal and their accomplices had murdered Sunil alias Doctor in December 2015, which set in motion a series of murders intensifying the bloody gang-war between their gang and Jyoti Baba-Kapil Nandu gang. The fathers of Mantri and Mahal were also murdered by their rivals.
Major players in jail
With Mahal, Baba and Nandu already in jail, Mantri’s arrest ensures that notorious figures from both gangs are in jail.
However, the police are concerned by the fact that activities of both gangs are continuing unabated despite their leaders being in jail.
Also, Hemanth, who now heads the Udaiveer alias Kale’s gang after Kale’s murder, is on the run.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said that Mantri, who remained elusive for the past two years, was constantly on the move and shifting his hideouts.
‘Moved around a lot’
“He shifted across locations in Haryana, Rajasthan, outer Delhi, and south-west Delhi. He managed to evade the police despite several raids,” Mr. Yadav said.
Mantri is wanted in a string of murders. It was expected that he would avenge the murder of his mentor’s father in January this year.
“We had inputs that Mantri had shifted base to Morni Hills in Haryana’s Panchkula. During investigation, we discovered that Mantri was on his way to Delhi to meet his associates,” said Mr. Yadav.
He added that Mantri kept evading the police, but they received a tip-off that he was going to set up a meeting in Panchkula with his associates. “For some reason, he shifted the meeting venue and decided to go back to Delhi,” said Mr. Yadav.
The police set a trap to intercept him during his return to the Capital.
Mantri was spotted near the Keshopur Depot around midnight.
Overpowered
He was overpowered and arrested. A 0.32 bore pistol and five live cartridges were purportedly recovered from him. The police are interrogating Mantri to get a list of his and Mahal’s accomplices, their safe houses and suppliers of weapons.
