STF arrests wanted Jhajjar gangster who jumped parole

GURUGRAM: A 33-year-old alleged gangster and murder suspect, who jumped parole in 2017, was arrested by the Haryana police’s special task force (STF) on Thursday. The police said there was a reward of ₹1 lakh for information leading to his arrest. The police recovered one country made pistol and two live cartridges from his possession. A case was registered at Shivaji Colony, Rohtak under the Arms Act.

The accused, identified as Ishwar alias Pali, was allegedly involved in more than 10 cases of murder, attempt to murder, loot, dacoity, carjacking, extortion and kidnapping, police said. Pali is a resident of Dubaldhan village in Jhajjar.

He was out on bail in four cases when he killed his neighbour in July and was at large ever since.

He was arrested after a chase on Thursday morning in Ratoli village near Rohtak, after the police received a tip-off on his whereabouts.

“The accused was allegedly planning to steal a car from the outskirts of Rohtak on Thursday night and had called his accomplice, but police got a tipoff and he was arrested before he could strike,” said Satheesh Balan, deputy inspector general of police (STF), Gurugram.

The police said he was the alleged head of a gang called the Pali Gang, which has more than 20 members, five of whom were arrested, including two of his brothers. “Pali had formed a gang in Rohtak and was scouting for youth from nearby villages to start operations in the city, beginning with carjacking and dacoity,” Balan said.

“Palli had mostly committed crimes in Jhajjar, Rohtak and Gurugram in Haryana, and in Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. He was at large after he shot dead Bijender Singh, his neighbour on July 24, over a family dispute. A case was registered against him and two of his brothers at the Beri police station, but he managed to flee from the village the same night,” Balan said.

“After fleeing from his village, he had joined a Haryanabased gang. Last week, he tried to rob an SUV, but failed as his accomplice could not reach Jhajjar on time,” Balan said.

Earlier, Pali was arrested in 2015 for dacoity, attempt to murder, carjacking and loot from Beri. He was an undertrial and was lodged in Jhajjar jail for four months and was released on bail in 2017, following an appeal.