Najafgarh on verge of gang war, fear cops

New Delhi: Monday’s shootout in Najafgarh could be the beginning of a full-fledged war between rival gangs. But the main players this time could be splinter groups that have become more active.
Police, though, suspect notorious gangsters are involved. They also think Mantri would seek revenge for the murder of his father and the attack on his mother and wife.Mantri is backed by Manjeet Mahal while prime accused Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu has the backing of Vikas Langarpuria.
Old police hands believe local police need to do much more. Even nine months after Bharat Singh’s murder, mastermind Hemant is till on the run. Crime branch had arrested co-accused Udaiveer Kala and handed over the case to local police, but the probe seems to have hit a dead end.
Gang wars have been happening in Najafgarh since the early 90s with rival groups trying to control land. Gang lords provide protection to landowners for a fee and a share in the real-estate pie.
But women and children have been the worst-affected in this bloodbath. Mantri’s kids aged seven and 11 saw the shootout. Tanish, the younger one, told TOI that he saw his mother bleeding from the head and falling on the ground after being shot at.
“Grandpa was lying outside while grandma was crying in pain as she lay in a pool of blood on the verandah. My mother was shot at by two men when she came out screaming. They were firing blindly at our house and had their faces covered. They even aimed at my sister, but the other man ordered him not to shoot the children. They then locked us in a room and went upstairs. After 15 minutes, they were gone,” Tanish added.