Cops launch hunt for Dhanooka assailants

RANCHI: Police have launched a hunt for the gang involved in the attack on businessman Vijay Dhanooka on Thursday.
Police teams raided several places in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and Patratu and arrested Baleshwar Bauri, one of the close associates of the gang, wanted in several crimes and responsible for providing logistics to the assailants, including SIM cards of Uttar Pradesh.
"Bauri was arrested from Patratu in Ramgarh district while several other gang members, including kingpin Kishore Pandey, are absconding," said Praveen Kumar, senior superintendent of police, under whose supervision raids were being carried out in various districts.
Police teams also raided the hotels and lodges in Ranchi, Dhanbad, Ramgarh and other districts. According to sources, police have launched a hunt for Puneet Pathak, Vikas Tiwari, Vikas Gang, Deepak Singh and Ajay Singh, all members of the Pandey gang.
"Prima facie, it appears that after the demise of Bhola Pandey, the leader of the gang, at Mihijam in Jamtara district on February 4, the gang wanted to establish itself under the leadership of Kishore Pandey by attacking Vijay Dhanooka," said the SSP.
Dhanooka was attacked on Thursday morning while returning home after meeting his client. He had a miraculous escape as the bullet hit his car and he managed to flee.
One of the assailants, identified as Munna Pandey of Varanasi, was arrested after he was caught while fleeing. Vijay is the elder brother of Raj Kumar Dhanooka, who was killed by the assailants at Panchvati Plaza, a busy marketing complex, last year.