E Delhi jeweller murder: 2 held

NEW DELHI: Three weeks after a jeweller of Delhi was shot by armed dacoits, the special staff of east Delhi Police, along with the district's anti-auto theft squad, arrested two men, owing allegiance to one of the most wanted gangs of central UP — the Salim gang. The accused, identified as Mohammad Sabir and Mohammad Anis, were arrested from Lucknow by police for their alleged involvement in the murder of 29-year-old Gaurav Gambhir, who was shot at his shop on February 23, DCP (east) O P Mishra said.
"Sabir was involved in the businessman's murder as well as another robbery at Padmavati Jewellers on February 1 in the same Lal Quarter Market of Krishna Nagar. Anis was only involved in the second robbery. At least four others involved in the murder case are still at large. The gang leader, Salim, has been booked under the harsh Goonda Act by the UP police. He has committed 21 murders and robberies in Delhi and UP since 2005 and even got married in January by kidnapping his wife at gunpoint. He is yet to be arrested and we have sent a team to Moradabad, Lucknow and Meerut to nab him and his associates," said Mishra.
According to police, the gang had shifted to northeast Delhi and used it as their base after the UP police stepped up efforts to nab them. They had been involved in 21 heinous crimes in UP, including the murder of a contractor and nine major dacoities in Lucknow. They have bases in the Moradabad area of UP too.
Initial investigations suggested that the crime could only have been carried out by people familiar with the narrow roads in Krishna Nagar as the shop is situated in a busy market area with multiple entry and exit points. A massive verification drive was carried out among all the dacoits, robbers, snatchers and auto-lifters of the area. Police then zeroed in on a gang involved in a 2006 case. During probe, police were tipped off about the residences of two members in Lucknow and Moradabad.