Juveniles being trained by gangsters to become sharpshooters
Gurugram: Twenty-one is normally an age when most of people are in their college. In December last year, Gurugram police arrested a person named Chand who at the age of 21 had already committed eight murders. He committed his first murder when he was only 15. Worryingly, Chand's case is not an exception and a large number of juveniles are being used by criminal outfits to not only carry out petty crimes but also now being trained to be sharpshooters.
With the murder of Jaidev, the fears of gang war have again returned in Gurugram where in the past rival gangs did not hesitate in eliminating their opponents by shooting them dead on the busy streets. In the last three months, the Gurugram police along with the Haryana special task force have arrested over 20 sharpshooters.
Sixteen of them are in the age limits of the early and mid-20's but what is of major concern to law enforcement officials is nine of them are juveniles and teenagers. Strong community bonding and a yearning for a glamorous and powerful lifestyle often draw youngsters towards criminal activities. Gangster Bhoo Dev (30) who was recently killed in an encounter, was seen posing with the AK-47 guns.
On an average, 10 crimes are committed daily by the juveniles in the city. While it may include petty crimes like robberies, snatching and molestation, of late most of them have also attempted rapes and murder, say police officials. Over 150 cases are pending in the juvenile justice board where crimes committed by the juveniles are taken up.
Even though a large number of juveniles have been charged in the criminal cases of snatchings, burglaries and sexual assaults, there has been a sudden spurt in the incidents of juveniles being sharpshooters. A large number of ATM thieves who have been arrested were also juveniles.
Interestingly, the recent arrests by the law enforcement officials highlight that most youth who are becoming members of criminal gangs are economically not badly off. Sampat Nehra who was arrested by Haryana STF in 2018 is not only a son of a police official but was also a former decathlon player. At the age of just 28, he had 12 cases of murders registered against him.
