STF foils gang war in Rudrapur; shooter held

Rudrapur: Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) and Rudrapur police on Thursday arrested a 26-year-old suspected shooter allegedly planning a murder amid an ongoing gang rivalry, foiling a possible gang-war.

Sandeep Chauhan was arrested in Rudrapur with three illegal .315 bore country-made pistols and 11 live cartridges, officials said. Police said the arrest followed specific intelligence inputs that Chauhan, who was allegedly operating his own gang, was moving around in the area with weapons and waiting for an opportunity to target members of a rival group.

Acting on the inputs, STF personnel launched a coordinated operation and intercepted the accused before any violent incident could take place.

Senior superintendent of police (STF) Ajay Singh said the state police have been maintaining strict surveillance on active gangs and notorious criminals lodged in prisons or operating outside.

"The STF continuously monitors criminal networks and gang activities in the state. Acting on precise intelligence inputs, our team intercepted the accused before he could execute a planned attack on a rival group. This timely action prevented a major crime," Singh said.

During preliminary interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that he and his associates had been roaming around for the past few days waiting for an opportunity to open fire on members of the rival faction.

Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the larger network and possible links behind the conspiracy.

Officials said that the joint action by STF and local police not only led to the seizure of illegal firearms but also helped avert a possible violent confrontation between rival gangs in the region.