Seven members of dreaded gang held, two others at large
LUCKNOW: The UP Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday arrested seven dreaded members of a notorious gang of serial killer brothers, Salim, Rustam and Sohrab, from Sarojininagar area here on Tuesday. The brothers are lodged in Tihar jail at present.
The STF claimed that the arrested gang members were planning two sensational killings, one of Salim’s ex-wife Anjum Aara, who is sitting chairman of Lucknow Cantonment Board, and another of Aminabad builder Guddu Sonker over property issue. In 2014, Aara was elected as the board chairman with the help of her ex-husband Salim and brothers-in-law.
However, their relations became strained over some reasons.
STF deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Alok Singh said those arrested were identified as the brothers’ right hand Ravi Gautam, their brother-in-law Nadeem Hasan, Sanju Kalra, Mehtab Hasan, Kabir Khan, Guddu and Ravi Kumar Gupta. Their two more accomplices, Shibbu and Vicky Valmiki, managed to escape when the STF raided their hideout in Sarojininagar on the intervening night of October 9 and 10.
Singh said the STF have recovered around one kilogram of Charas and one kilogram of Marijuana, two firearms and six cartridges from their possession.
Earlier, gang’s sharp shooter Sunil Sharma was gunned down by the city police on September 1.
Informing about Salim’s ex-wife Aara, a senior STF official said Salim had got a former corporator and BSP leader Shyam Narain Pandey alias Pappu Pandey killed in crowded Aminabad market area on November 29, 2013 as he was opposing Aara during municipal board elections.
He said the three brothers allegedly also got murdered former MP’s grandson and property dealer, Mohd Zaid Shakeel, 26, in Bazarkhala on June 5, 2016 while suspecting him of increasing proximity with Anjum Aara.
The arrested accused are the key members of jailed gangster brothers and they used to extort money from businessmen, contractors and builders in their name, said the DSP.
TWO WOMEN HELPED IN OPERATING THE GANG
The three brothers, Salim, Rustam and Sohrab, used to operate their gang from the jail.
They had employed people on monthly salary to work for them. They also provided extra money in the form of commission on accomplishing the tasks successfully. “At present, Sohrab’s wife Shanno and his elder brother Salim’s paramour used to handle the gang’s money transactions. The gang members used to hand over the collected amount to the two women, who in turn later passed on information to the three brothers in Tihar jail or during their visits to Kanpur court,” said Singh.
He said the two women, who were found missing from their houses, are also on the STF radar.
RISE OF THE THREE BROTHERS’ GANG
The three brothers had created sensation in the city when they killed three people in Hussainganj, Hasanganj and Madiaon within a span of 45 minutes a day before Eid in 2005. The trio had committed the crime after making call to a senior IPS officer informing about their intentions.
They established their supremacy in the city gradually by committing several sensational incidents. A senior police officer said the three brothers crime was limited to only Sadar area but serial killings created their terror in the city.