New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS): The twin shootouts in Gurugram, which left three men dead within a span of ten minutes on Thursday evening, have once again brought into focus the violent gang rivalries in the NCR that have left many dead in the past few years as criminals engage in gun battles on the streets. Such incidents trigger panic in the area and leave people apprehensive about their safety.
Thursday's shootout brought back memories of the Dwarka Mor shootout in Delhi in May last year, where two suspected criminals were killed in an exchange of fire near the metro station.
The two deceased -- Parveen Gehlot, a resident of Nawada area, and Vikas Dalal -- had several cases of murders, extortion and robberies against them in Delhi and Haryana.
Two days later, TikTok star Mohit Mor was murdered while he was in a photocopy shop in Najafgarh. Two men and a juvenile entered a shop and pumped 13 bullets into Mor who was seated on a sofa.
Mor did not have any criminal case against him but he kept the company of gangsters. He also helped Mangu, an alleged member of the notorious Nandu gang; invest Rs 30 lakh in a west Delhi property.
The back-to-back shootouts left the city shocked.
Delhi Police later apprehended the juvenile and also managed to arrest the two sharpshooters, Vikas and Rohit Dagar, a year later.
In May this year, two members of Nasir gang were shot dead in northeast Delhi by suspected members of the Chenu gang.
Both gangs have indulged in several shootouts in the past in which more than a dozen persons have been killed.
Interestingly, out of 11 most wanted criminals in Delhi Police list, five are from northeast Delhi.
In a bid to stamp out the menace, Delhi Police, in the past few months, has launched an offensive against its most wanted criminals and gangsters.
It has been successful in arresting Jitender Maan alias Gogi (29), Delhi's most-wanted gangster. Gogi, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 6.5 lakh on his head, and three of his accomplices, were arrested from Gurugram in March this year.
On July 8, the Delhi Police's Special Cell was also successful in recapturing notorious criminal Sandeep Dhillon, who had escaped from police custody while at a Delhi hospital in February 2018, from West Bengal's Siliguri.
Delhi Police is also working on breaking the supply chain of arms and ammunition to the capital and the NCR from states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
"Till June 15, 2020 a total of 1,047 cases under Arms Act were registered in Delhi as compared to 1,074 cases in the previous year during the same period," said a senior police officer.
The price of a sophisticated pistol varies from Rs 4,500 to Rs 15,000 depending upon the quality of the product. To curtail the weapon flow, there is a need to strengthen information networks, break the supply chain and act strictly against the source of the gun-running rackets.