At this gangster wedding in Delhi, police turn reluctant planners
It is one of the most talkedabout weddings of the year, where the groom will be escorted in Delhi Police vehicles to the venue, which will be secured by over 250 commandos armed with hitech weapons, drones, and CCTV cameras. In fact, police personnel deployed in and outside the banquet hall are likely to far outnumber the invitees to the wedding of gangster Sandeep alias Kala Jathedi with historysheeter Anuradha Choudhary alias 'Madam Minz' on Tuesday.
A senior officer said the venue — Santosh Garden banquet hall in Dwarka’s Sector 3 — has been turned into a fortress to avoid the possibilities of gang rivalries or an escape bid by the soontobemarried couple from the venue.
Access to the venue, which has been booked by Sandeep’s lawyer for ₹51,000, is strictly regulated, the officer added. The banquet hall is seven km away from Tihar Jail, where Sandeep is currently lodged.
“Doorframe metal detectors have been set up at the entry. The guests will be given the barcode bands before. No vehicle without an entry pass will be allowed in the parking area near the banquet," the officer said.
IDs for waiters
Waiters and other employees at the banquet hall will be given IDs for identification, he said.
Sources said Sandeep and Choudhary’s wedding ceremony will be held under the close watch of 250 Delhi Police SWAT (Special Weapons and Techniques) commandoes carrying hitech weapons.
Additionally, Special Cell and Crime Branch teams of Delhi and Haryana police will be deployed in and around the venue, with officers from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Rajasthan Police also keeping a close watch on the proceedings.
Armed police officers in civil clothes will also be deployed at the ceremony, sources added.
Sandeep's family has shared a list of 150 guests with the local police, another officer said.
Six-hour parole
A city court granted Sandeep parole from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for his wedding. On Wednesday, he will be taken to his native village of Jathedi in Haryana’s Sonepat for the couple's homecoming rituals.
Once a wanted gangster with a reward of ₹7 lakh on his head, Sandeep is a close associate of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. He is facing over a dozen cases of robbery, murder, attempt to murder, extortion, and Arms Act in
Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, according to Delhi Police records.
He has also been involved in cases of contract killings and extortions with the businessmen, another officer said.
Escape from custody
Sandeep has a history of slipping out of the clutches of the police. He once fled from the custody of Haryana Police and orchestrated an escape for his associate from the custody of Delhi Police, the officer said.
A police officer said Sandeep had fled from the custody of Haryana Police while being escorted to Faridabad court in 2020. His gang members had surrounded the police and opened fire at them, leaving one police personnel injured.
In 2021, he, along with his associates, orchestrated a shootout at Delhi's GTB Hospital and managed to free one Kuldeep Fajja from the custody of Delhi Police, the officer said, adding Fajja was later caught and killed in an encounter with Delhi Police's Special Cell.
“We don't want to take any chances this time. Therefore, an adequate deployment of the force will be put in place from Tihar to the wedding venue in Dwarka," a senior officer said.
The officer said Sandeep will be escorted by a large number of Delhi Police personnel from the Third Battalion unit, which is entrusted with taking prisoners out of jail and bringing them back to the prison.
The groom will be escorted in Delhi Police vehicles to the venue, which will be secured by over 250 commandos armed with hi-tech weapons, drones, and CCTV cameras