Gangs, wars and muscle of Gurugram

When the slain Gurguram gangster Sandeep Gadoli first met Divya Pahuja, an aspiring model, he introduced himself as an influential businessman with interest in the real estate sector. For starry-eyed Pahuja, he was ladder to her dreams. Only in Februray this year, when Gadoli was killed in a fake encounter in Mumbai by the Gurugram police, did it occur to Pahuja (or at least that's what she claims) that her 38-year-old boyfriend was indeed a gangster. The main conspirator behind the killing was Bindar Gujar, another gangster who allegedly paid `5 crore to the Gurugram police to snuff out his rival. The tale could have been straight out of a Bollywood film, but in India's Millennium City these days', real life rivals reel life.

GANG WARS

From extortion, betting, drug syndicate and land grab, Gurguram's strong men now rival the Mumbai underworld in terms of money and muscle power. Since the 1980s, Gurugram has witnessed the murder of as many as six gang leaders - Surendar alias fauji, Rajesh alias Rajje, Neetu Gahlot, Sunil Malik, Sandeep Gadoli and Mahesh Attack-five out of the six were killed by Bindar Gujjar who has now emerged as the most dreaded gang leader of Gurugram.

It was Gujjar who started the gang war in Gurugram by killing its first underworld don Surendar alias Fauji (since he retired from the Indian army). Fauji had ruled Gurugram since the 80's with his team of 30 accomplices indulging in extortion and betting. Gujjar at that time was working for Rajesh alias Rajje, a rival gangster who was looking to wrest control over the extortion business from the Fauji gang.

Rajje picked Gujjar as his hit-man, impressed by the latter's fearless and aggressive attitude. Aided by Gujjar, Rajje soon became the undisputed don of Gurugram. The ties, however, soured and Gujjar fell out with his master over the distribution of extortion money. Plotting revenge, Gujjar joined hands with Netu Gahlot, a gangster-based in Laxmi garden to eliminate Rajje. Rajje was killed at his Arjun Nagar home in 2003. The murder set off a cycle of revenge attacks with the kith and kin of slain gangsters plotting to end the supremacy of Gujjar.

First was Rajje's wife Sangeeta. With the help of gangster Sunil Malik she tried to kill Gujjar. But wily Gujjar who anticipated the plot eliminated them both within two months of Rajje's murder. He also bumped off Sunil Malik and his accomplice Dharamvir Ulhawas in 2006 with the help of contract killers.

Meanwhile, Sunil's mother Raj Bala Malik plotted revenge on Netu Gahlot.

The first attack on Gujjar took place in May 2011 when he along with his close aide Ashok Kakran went to the MCG (Municipal Council Gurugram) office a day before filing nomination for the MCG councilor election. The attackers sprayed bullets on Gujjar and his friend Kakran indiscriminately as they stepped out of the MCG office around eight in the night. But Gujjar managed to save his life with injuries as Kakran came in between and sacrificed his life.

Interestingly, Gujjar had a premonition that his life would be in danger when he met Raj Bala Malik at the MCG office. The attack on Gujjar was reportedly orchestrated by Gadoli who was trying to wrest control of the extortion racket from Gujjar.

A brief period of peace ensued till 2015, when Gadoli triggered a fresh spate of violence by killing Gujjar's nephew Ashok Kumar. The Gujjar gang retaliated by killing Gadoli's right hand man Raj Kumar Sethi alias Raju, a day before Diwali last year. The gang war between the two intensified and finally culminated in the killing of Gadoli earlier this year.

The retaliation came in September 21, when Mahesh Attack, a gangster reportedly close to Gujjar gang was gunned down. And with the latest murder of Gujjar's elder brother Manish alias pappu, last week, past it seems is fast catching up with deeds of Gujjar.