Two aides of gangster Manjeet Mahal booked under MCOCA

New Delhi: Taking stringent action against criminal gangs and to bring down organised crime syndicates, Delhi Police have booked two associates of the Manjeet Mahal gang under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

The accused Pradeep alias Tota and Ashok alias Sonu are residents of Najafgadh and are lodged in Gurugram's Bhondsi jail over their involvement in various criminal cases.

The Inter-border Gangs Investigation Squad (IGIS) of Delhi Police Crime Branch gained custody of the due through production warrant on August 27, investigated the duo's case and sent them back to the prison on September 7.

"Pradeep is involved in 36 criminal cases, including six of murder, whereas Ashok is involved in over half-dozen cases," said a police officer.

An investigator said that the two men had joined the Manjeet Mahal gang having been allured by the flashy lifestyle of gangsters.

"Pradeep had won several medals in his school days and was working as a sales manager with a private bank. He belongs to a middle-class family and was living a good life, but in the 2013-14, left the job and joined the gang," police said.

Meanwhile, Ashok was a property dealer and cable operator, with offices in Najafgarh and Haryana, and came into contact with the gang in the same period.

The duo had committed several crimes in Delhi, Gurugram and Jhajjar. "One of the accused was involved in a case where charred bodies of four youth from Delhi were found inside a burnt car in Haryana's Jhajjar. In another case, one of them killed a property dealer," said the officer.

Police are now identifying and seizing properties of the accused, which they obtained using illegal money.