In a major crackdown on the Gogi-Dinesh Karala network, Delhi Police has conducted coordinated raids across three states, resulting in the arrest of five individuals, including shooters, arms suppliers, and financiers. The arrests were made from northwest Delhi's Rohini and Hapur in Uttar Pradesh.
Arms Seized and Gang War Averted
Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ravindra Singh Yadav announced on Thursday that a 9 mm Glock, an Italian Beretta, and a Turkish Zoraki pistol, procured for use in gang wars, were among the weapons seized. In total, 14 firearms and over 100 cartridges were recovered. Police sources believe that this arms haul has successfully prevented a major gang war in the capital.
Investigation Reveals Aggressive Arms Procurement
The investigation uncovered that members of the Gogi-Karala network, with Karala operating from Tihar jail, have been aggressively acquiring illegal firearms and ammunition to assert dominance over rival gangs, including the Tillu Tajpuriya and Chichad gangs.
Acting on a tip-off, Rohini police laid a trap for Rahul Mathur, a key financier of the gang, who was scheduled to meet an associate named Manjeet near a metro station in Rohini. On April 26, police intercepted Mathur, who attempted to flee in his SUV by driving on the wrong side of the road. He was overpowered by a team led by Inspector Sandeep Godara. Joint Commissioner of Police Vijay Singh confirmed that Mathur is involved in five criminal cases.
Based on Mathur's interrogation, his associates Kunal alias Kuku and Aditya were apprehended. Further investigation revealed that Surender alias Kala was the primary supplier of illegal weapons to the Gogi-Dinesh Karala gang. Surender is believed to have supplied over 600 illegal weapons over the past four to five years, operating as a key node in the arms supply chain from Hapur and enabling the expansion of organized crime networks in Delhi.
Surender, currently in Rohini jail in connection with an Arms Act case, was arrested again after police obtained a production warrant based on fresh evidence. Acting on his inputs, raids were conducted in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, leading to the arrest of Iqbal, another arms supplier, on Thursday. Iqbal supplied weapons to multiple criminal networks across Delhi-NCR and has seven similar criminal cases registered against him.
Police also noted that the Gogi-Dinesh Karala gang has been showcasing its weapons on social media platforms to intimidate rivals and lure impressionable youth into its fold.
