Gang names bring notoriety to outer Delhi villages

NEW DELHI: Google the words “Sandeep Singh gangster”, and the search engine shows over 500,000 pages on several alleged criminals. But there is nothing on Sandeep Singh, Delhi’s most wanted gangster, because very few people know the 35-year-old by his real name. Instead, he is known as Sandeep Kala Jathedi, or simply Kala Jathedi.

Jathedi is an urban village on the Delhi-Sonepat border.

Jathedi is not the only Delhi village to gain notoriety because of its link with a gangster. Several villages in the outer rim of the Capital have become infamous because the names of several gangsters are attached to the villages.

Some of Delhi’s other top gangsters -- Neeraj Bawana, Nitu Dabodia, Tillu Tajpuria and Vikas Langarpuria -- have all chosen to adopt their village names. It is a trend that the residents of these villages say has brought fear and notoriety to the places where they live and grew up in -- places that were otherwise harmless and ordinary, but which are now in the spotlight.

For example, on May 19, when police arrested wrestler Sushil Kumar for alleged link with a murder, he was with his friend Ajay Sehrawat. When confronted by investigators, Ajay said his name was Ajay Bakkarwala, a resident of

Bakkarwala village in outer Delhi. Police immediately knew they had to take him seriously. Subash Solanki, a retired DTC bus driver and a resident of Bakkarwala, says: “Ours was the village of cattle grazers. But today, Bakkarwala is seen as a criminal village.”

Tajpur is another such village. Like Bakkarwala, it has also earned the notoriety for extortion, robbery and land grabbing cases associated with Sunil Maan, better known as Tillu Tajpuria.

SANDEEP

KALA JATHEDI

From village, Jathedi Haryana He is top of the police’s most wanted list, and has been accused of heading the Kala Jathedi gang. Accused in at least 19 cases of extortion, landgrabbing, robbery, murder.

RAJESH BAWANIA

From Bawana village Before Neeraj Bawana, Rajesh featured in all of the police’s wanted lists. He has at least 43 cases of extortion, murder, attempt to murder, and others.

NEERAJ BAWANIA

From village Bawana He was Rajesh’s rival. Bawana has been accused of running an extortion racket in Delhi. Also involved in at least two dozen cases of robbery, extortion murder.