‘Manjeet Mahal’s surrender was to help wife contest MCD polls’
According to highly-placed sources in the Delhi Police, Manjeet Mahal operated from the jail and pulled the strings of several criminal activities from there
NEW DELHI: When Manjeet Mahal was arrested by the Special Cell unit of Delhi Police, they believed that his criminal activities had come to an end, as Mahal would lose control over his gang and would spend the remaining days behind bars. But it has now been found that Mahal’s surrender was a calculated move to transition from a gang leader to liaison man for his criminal outfit in Najafgarh.
According to a highly-placed Delhi Police source, Mahal had planned out his surrender and the main motive behind the move was to get his wife contest the local MCD elections. Sources have also informed that his wife will be contesting the next elections despite the death in her family. “Mahal had surrendered to the Delhi Police. He had made a lot of enemies and was active till October 2015. He thought that he would be safe in jail. He had planned on making his wife contest the local MCD elections. He must not have anticipated that they would target his family.”
According to police, the gang wars had always been a result of property disputes and the killings of family members had initiated the cycle of revenge killings.
But when Manjeet Mahal killed Sunil, alias Doctor, while he was on his way to kill his rivals, the gang war became personal again. The result was seen a year later when Mahal’s father was gunned down outside his house by unidentified assailants.
Mahal along with his contemporaries like Kapil Sangwan had taken a backseat and became financiers working behind the shadows. “Manjeet Mahal and the other older gangsters who were lucky enough to survive, had started to take the backseat. They are all smart and that way, they had become financiers giving orders from the jail. They had recruited young boys and would give them money for safe houses, weapons, vehicles and also would plan out escape routes and bail money for those who were caught,” said a senior police official posted in Najafgarh district.
The revenge killings may be underway because of Sunil, alias Doctor’s death, but the gang wars had never really stopped and was merely passing through an intermittent peace, as several sub groups are slowly coming to the forefront. The police have said that the villages of Dichaon Kalan and Mitraon Village, from where the infamous Narender and Balraj gang had fought for a piece of land in the late 80’s, have stopped producing gangsters. But now, the surrounding villages of Jaffarpur Kalan and Jharoda Kalan have taken up the mantle.
“Various youngsters have picked up guns in these villages. A local gang called the Vikram group was also busted in Kair Village. We also expect a new gang to come along, as in a recent case, a local criminal, Arun had stolen his associate, Jitender’s gun and later confided to his close friend Mayank. Mayank went on to tell Jitender about this, after which a fight broke out. In the end, Mayank was found with his throat slit open and his killers were arrested. Now Mayank’s associates have sworn revenge against Arun, and the gang was born,” the officer added.