Businessmen turn extortionists for NRIs

New Delhi: Vikram Paras, Neeraj Bawana, and Anil Ganja may not be exactly household names, but businessmen in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh know about them and are aware that many of them figure in their crosshairs. These men are killers and extortionists, who target rich businessmen and realtors in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

These three men - carrying a bounty up to Rs. 100,000 each and also wanted in several cases of murder and extortion - will now figure in the list of 10 'most wanted criminals' of 2014 being compiled by Delhi Police.

While Paras, 29, tops the list, Bawana, 27, and Ganja, 30, are in second and third position respectively in the new list being prepared by the Crime Branch, informed sources told IANS.

The three are followed by Satyawan and Kasimullah - both charged with murders and extortion - at fourth and fifth position respectively. Kasimullah is a known sharp shooter in the world of criminals.

"We are in the process of preparing the list. We are still deciding others who are not only wanted by us, but by other state polices too," a source in the know told IANS.

A Special Cell said Paras and Ganja, both residents of Haryana, along with Bawana, who is a resident of Bawana in Delhi's outer district, are involved in over 16 cases that occurred between 2010 and 2013.

"All these criminals are self-styled gang lords and work with loosely-knit gangs that plunder and terrorise people, mostly businessmen at will. They especially target Delhi's south-west and outer district areas," another official told IANS.

Two crack units of Delhi Police - the Crime Branch and the Special Cell - deal with them whenever these notorious gangsters operate in Delhi and its peripheral areas.

Another Crime Branch official, on condition of anonymity, told IANS: "After the death of Neetu Dabodia, Vikram Paras became Delhi's number one gangster."

Dabodia, Delhi's topmost gangster, and his two aides were killed in a gun fight in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area in October 2013.

The two aides had also figured in the wanted list of the police.

"Five out of the top 10 dreaded criminals - including Vikas Langarpuria, Manoj Morkheri, his associates Vivek and Praveen - were caught in 2013," the official told IANS.

With the killings and the arrests, Delhi Police was able to create panic among the remaining gangsters. But it didn't last long and the underworld operatives re-grouped and targeted at will.

Another official said: "The list will comprise mostly extortionists and dreaded criminals who have committed murders and are known to be ruthless when it comes to executing their plans.

"We will also be naming those gangsters who have been successful in deceiving police and escaping by scripting acts that had numbed Delhi Police," the official added