New Delhi: A suspected gang war was averted after Delhi Police arrested an alleged shooter linked to the Naveen Bali-Neeraj Bawana gang, who was reportedly on his way to target a member of the rival Gogi gang in Alipur, police said.
A subsequent search of his backpack led to the recovery of two more semi-automatic pistols, five country-made pistols and 25 live cartridges. An FIR under Section 25 of the Arms Act was subsequently registered at Kashmere Gate police station. DCP (North) Niharika Bhatt said verification through the ZIPNET database revealed that the scooter had been reported stolen in a case registered at Adarsh Nagar police station.
Joint CP (Central) Madhur Verma said police had received specific intelligence that a suspected shooter associated with the Naveen Bali-Neeraj Bawana gang was carrying weapons and intended to travel to Alipur to eliminate a rival gang member. During interrogation, Harsh allegedly told investigators that he had travelled to the trans-Yamuna area on the directions of members of the Naveen Bali gang and collected the weapons and ammunition. He allegedly planned to meet an associate before proceeding to Alipur to target a person linked to the rival gang, police said. Police said Harsh has three previous criminal cases registered at Bawana, Kanjhawala and NIA police stations in Outer North district.
Acting on the input, a police team laid a trap near the bridge and intercepted Harsh as he arrived on a blue scooter from the Civil Lines side. During a search, police allegedly recovered a semi-automatic pistol loaded with five live cartridges from his waistband.