New Delhi: Communities nationwide are grappling with a surge in juvenile crime rates, raising concerns about the growing influence of local and international gangs with law enforcement agencies highlighting the involvement of notorious criminals like Arsh Dalla and Goldy Brar operating from abroad.
Recent statistics expose a marked increase in crimes committed by juveniles, ranging from petty theft to more serious offences like assault, extortion, and drug-related activities. Security agencies are intensifying efforts to unravel the recruitment tactics used by gangs targeting vulnerable youths, especially juveniles.
The National Records Crime Bureau (NRCB) data for the year 2022 has exposed a significant surge in juvenile involvement in criminal activities in Delhi with a staggering 2,430 criminal cases, in stark contrast to the statistics of 19 other major metropolitan cities across India.
Among the reported cases, 92 were classified as murders, while 154 were attempts to commit murder.
Law enforcement sources suggest that gangs are actively targeting juveniles for recruitment, taking advantage of their susceptibility to peer pressure, socio-economic challenges, and a lack of positive role models. The allure of quick money and a sense of belonging draws many young individuals into the dangerous world of organised crime.
“Unfortunately, we are witnessing an alarming trend where criminal gangs are preying on the vulnerabilities of juveniles. These gangs often use subtle coercion tactics to recruit young individuals, turning them into accomplices in illegal activities,” said a senior police official.
The gangs are recruiting juveniles from the rural areas of Haryana, Rajasthan, or Delhi, aged between 15 and 20 years. These immature youths were enticed by the allure of being gang members and were contacted through internet-based services.
“They are given instructions to reach specific locations and are provided with weapons and logistical support by masked or fake identity individuals,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ravindra Singh Yadav.
The newly recruited members are assigned the task of conducting surveillance on the target’s residence or place of business.
“After completing the surveillance, they are then instructed to carry out acts of intimidation, such as firing at windows, doors, or ceilings, to scare the victims into paying the extortion amount. Following the task, the recruits were moved to other locations to avoid detection before being given a new assignment,” said the Special CP.
The entire operation functioned smoothly, with no communication between different parts of the syndicate.
“The handler, operating from abroad using international members, coordinated with various gang members, including recruiters, logistics providers, and shooters. The syndicate frequently changed phones, SIM cards, and locations to evade law enforcement,” said the official.
The extorted funds were collected and held in safe havens abroad, using escape routes such as the “donkey” or mule route.
In December, two sharpshooters of Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar were arrested, who had fired seven to eight rounds in front of the residence of a former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Punjab MLA in Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh area in a bid to extort money.
A recent revelation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) underscores the gravity of the situation. The charge sheet points to Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Arshdeep Singh, alias Arsh Dalla, collaborating with Hardeep Singh Nijjar to identify targets, arrange weapons, and funnel terror funds through various channels. This sinister collaboration aimed to strengthen the activities of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).
“Arshdeep Singh in association with Hardeep Singh Nijjar who also is a designated terrorist, was facilitating the members of the terror gang by providing details of targets, arranging weapons, sending terror funds through various MTSS channels and also raising funds through extortion to strengthen the terror activities of KTF. The investigation has further revealed that the major part of the extorted money was channelised to Arsh in Canada through hawala operators,” stated the charge sheet.
“Investigations have revealed that Nijjar and Arsh lured people to commit terror acts in return for arranging visas, splendid jobs, and handsome earnings for them in Canada. Initially, they were motivated for threatening and extorting money from businessmen in Punjab and subsequently they were radicalised and motivated for carrying out terrorist acts of killing persons of other faiths,” the charge sheet stated.
As per the NIA charge sheet submitted in court, the Lawrence Bishnoi terror syndicate’s main activities involve kidnapping, murder, extortion for ransom, cross-border smuggling of sophisticated weapons and narcotics, inland smuggling of contraband and illegal liquor.
The gangster didn’t talk directly to any shooter, but routed them through his close associates, including Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar, and Anmol Bishnoi.
The NIA also said that its investigation has revealed that distribution of work used to be done with careful planning, and the gang members were assigned different tasks. Matters pertaining to funding were mostly decided by Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Darmanjot Kahlon.
“Bishnoi was intentionally running the entire operation from jail. He was so adept in operating from inside the jail that he didn’t apply for bail in any case. It was also revealed that a considerable part of the money generated through extortion activities was sent to Canada, the US, Dubai, Thailand and Australia for the use of their associates/family members based abroad and also for funding the activities of pro-Khalistan extremists,” the charge sheet read.
(Shekhar Singh can be reached at shekhar.s@ians.in)
–IANS