By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 27 Feb: In a significant breakthrough, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) in a joint operation with Dehradun Police has arrested two active members of the notorious Sunil Rathi gang from the Raipur–Rajpur area of the city. According to the STF officials, the two were nabbed last evening. Two illegal .32 bore pistols, seven live cartridges and a black Scorpio-N vehicle bearing registration number UP-51 BS 0001 were recovered from their possession. The officials have claimed that the timely action is stated to have thwarted a major criminal incident allegedly being planned in Dehradun at the behest of dreaded gangster Sunil Rathi, who is presently lodged in Pauri Garhwal Jail. The racket is known to extort money from business men from Uttarakhand, UP and other states by issuing threats to the businessmen.
According to the police officials, the STF had received confidential inputs that Sunil Rathi was orchestrating plans through his associates to execute some serious criminal acts in Dehradun. Acting upon technical and manual intelligence inputs gathered during an ongoing verification and surveillance drive against active criminals and suspicious elements from outside the State, STF personnel had been closely monitoring the activities of suspected gang members for some time.
Yesterday, the STF team was conducting surveillance in the Sahastradhara Road area when an informer alerted them that two members of the Sunil Rathi gang were proceeding towards Sahastradhara in a black Scorpio vehicle. Acting swiftly, the police laid a cordon near Pacific Golf Estate and intercepted the vehicle. During checking in the Rajpur area, the two occupants were detained and subsequently arrested.
Upon interrogation, the accused identified themselves as Bhanu Chaudhary (22), son of Alok Kumar, resident of Meals New Colony, Sadar Thana, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and Paras (28), son of Jagpal Singh, resident of Prempuri, Kotwali Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of one .32 bore illegal pistol from each accused along with a total of seven live cartridges. The police also seized two iPhones and Rs 40,000 in cash from their possession.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that both accused were in continuous contact with Sunil Rathi and had visited him multiple times in Pauri Jail. Examination of the seized mobile phones reportedly indicates regular communication between Paras and the jailed gangster. It has also come to light that Bhanu maintained similar contact and had been meeting Rathi in prison.
During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted that they used Sunil Rathi’s name to intimidate individuals in matters relating to valuable and disputed land parcels in Dehradun and Haridwar. They are stated to have intervened in such disputes and extorted hefty sums of money in the guise of facilitating settlements. The police sources further claimed that certain traders in Dehradun and Haridwar were being threatened in the name of Sunil Rathi but due to fear, no complainant has so far come forward openly.
The investigators have also revealed that Paras was previously associated as a shooter with the Mukhtar Ansari and Sanjeev Jeeva gangs. After their deaths, Paras allegedly joined the Sunil Rathi gang. Police records indicate that Paras has several criminal cases registered against him in the past, including offences relating to murder, criminal intimidation, cheating, provisions under the Gangster Act and the Arms Act.
During interrogation, the name of a disputed property dealer from Haridwar has also surfaced. That particular property dealer from Haridwari is stated to have previously served a jail term in connection with a murder case. The Police authorities have stated that the exact purpose of the accused persons’ arrival in Dehradun and the broader ramifications of the criminal network are being thoroughly investigated.
Following the arrests, a case has been registered at Rajpur Police Station under FIR No 40/2026, invoking Section 111(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3/25 of the Arms Act in this regard. Further legal proceedings are underway. Officials from Uttarakhand STF and Rajpur Police Station were part of the joint operation that led to the arrests and seizure.
