Delhi gangsters fall back on old school tricks to evade cops

UNDER RADAR Notorious gangsters have cut down on use of technology, instead choosing to communicate in codes

NEW DELHI: From snail mail to hand-delivered notes and post cards to highly encrypted digital apps — Delhi’s top gangsters are trying everything to evade surveillance by the police.

Police officers who keep a watch on notorious gangsters and their network said they have been forced to rely more on human intelligence than technologically advanced systems to beat the criminals.

A Delhi Police officer told HT that gangsters such as Sanjay Lakra alias Sanjay Mundka, Sandeep alias Dhillu and Samunder Khatri alias Sunder — all carrying a reward of ₹2 lakh — have been using different methods of communication to evade police’s radar. “Recently arrested henchmen of gangsters such as Jitender Gogi, Kuldeep alias Fajja and Rajesh Bawania have told us how the gangs have limited the use of technology. They were forced to do so because of our heightened surveillance,” the officer said.

Jitender alias Gogi, who was involved in Monday’s shootout — the third gangwar in Delhi in one month — has been on the police’s radar for years. Officers said that recent inputs about his movements suggested that he has not been using a cell phone for months.

“If they have an active SIM card, we can trace their location. They interact in codes and get written messages delivered by their aides. Sometimes more than one person is used to deliver the message ,” the officer said.

“When it comes to evading surveillance, we suspect that similar ways are being used by Rajiv alias Pochanpuria, Sandeep Dhillu and Samunder Khatri,” the officer said.

Gangster Neetu Dabodia, who was gunned down in 2013, was also known for writing to his associates and targets, than making a phone call or sending texts.

Another officer from the Delhi Police special cell said, “In written messages, these men use codes to refer to their targets. No one is named directly. Postal services are not used as addresses cannot be revealed.”

Another police officer said apart from sending information and plans by letters which are hand-delivered by aides, these men use teammates to get their messages conveyed. “The use of technology is kept to a minimum. It is made only when it is essential. They make only WhatsApp calls since they are tough to trace,” he said.

“In some cases, we found virtual numbers. These numbers are not connected to any telephone line and are programmed to forward incoming calls to a pre-set telephone number, chosen by the client. So, the calls are received on one number but can be answered on another,” the officer said.