Cop-gangster nexus helped extortion racket thrive in Jail

The process of carrying out illegal activities does not seem to cease in Bhondsi jail. Days after six mobile phones and the same number of SIM cards were recovered from the prisoners held up in Sohna jail, another incident of dreaded gangsters Manjeet Mahal and Binder Gujjar demanding extortion from the inmates has emerged.

Manish Bharadwaj, who has been held up in jail and is facing the trial of illegal arms racket had complained that the two gangsters through their accomplice had demanded an amount of Rs 10 lakh and an Audi car to be delivered to the relatives of the gangsters and was threatened with dire consequences if he failed to do so. Bharadwaj, later, complained of the incident to the jail authorities that led to the inquiry being initiated into the complaint. Along with the two gangsters, several police officials of Bhondsi jail have also been booked.

The case has been registered at Sector-5 police station under Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 384 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

This is not for the time when Manjeet Mahal who has several cases of murder and burglaries registered against him courted controversy while being held up in the jail.

Recently, a police official from the district police was suspended after it was alleged that he had sought assistance from Manjeet Mahal to make a threatening call to a person with whom he was embroiled in a property dispute.

In 2016, gangster Ashok Rathee who was held up in the jail contacted his henchmen within the jail premises to eliminate his wife who he suspected of having an affair.

In June this year, over 20 cell phones and SIM cards were seized from the prison after a raid was conducted by the vigilance team. Several incidents of violent scuffle between the rival gangster groups and drugs usage have also been reported from the Sohna jail.

Besides Binder Gujjar and Manjeet Mahal, other held up members of the gangs include Kaushal gang, Kishan gang, Hayatpuri and Sandeep Gadoli gang.

As most of these gangsters have cases registered against them in Delhi, requests have been made to transfer some of them to Tihar Jail.