23 October,2019 07:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Binder Gujjar. Pic/ Facebook
The main conspirator and mastermind of gangster Sandeep Gadoli's fake encounter, Binder Gujjar, has been arrested by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mumbai Crime Branch from Haryana.
Gadoli was killed by Gurugram cops in a fake encounter at Andheri's airport Metro Hotel on February 7, 2016. Gujjar hatched the alleged killing with the help of an aspiring model, Divya Pahuja, her mother Sonia, and five Gurugram cops.
The cops had already been arrested earlier. Gujjar, a Gurugram-based gangster had been absconding for the past three years. Confirming his arrest, a senior officer of the Mumbai Crime Branch told mid-day, "He had been on the run ever since the crime was registered with us. We got a tip-off recently and nabbed him in Haryana. He will be brought to Mumbai on Wednesday."
Gujjar, Gadoli's arch-rival, has several police cases registered against him. Gurugram has witnessed several gang-wars between the two.
ALSO READ
Sources also told mid-day that Gujjar was recently detained by Haryana Police after he was found campaigning for an independent candidate.
According to sources, Gujjar planned Gadoli's killing along with Gurugram cops as he was losing ground in his hometown.
"Gujjar, the mastermind of the case, planned each and everything to get Gadoli killed and make it look like an encounter by the Gurugram Police. He was also the one who roped in Gadoli's girlfriend Divya and her mother Sonia, to help," the officer said.
Earlier, the five Gurugram cops - head constables Paramjit Ahlawat, Deepak Kakran, constables Vikram Singh, Jitendra Yadav and Police Sub Inspector Pradyuman Yadav were arrested by the SIT.
It was found that the Gurugram police officers had acted without official permission from their superiors.
They had earlier claimed to have killed Gadoli in self-defence but were caught firing at an unarmed Gadoli on the CCTV.
In October 2016, the Mumbai Crime Branch filed a 2,000-page charge sheet naming Gujjar as the main conspirator.
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.