Delhi Crime Branch arrests notorious interstate dacoit wanted for 21 years, carrying Rs 30,000 reward
New Delhi, June 4 (IANS) In a major breakthrough against organised interstate crime, the Delhi Police Crime Branch’s WR-II unit has arrested a notorious interstate dacoit who had been absconding for more than 21 years and was carrying a cumulative reward of Rs 30,000 announced by the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh Police forces.
The arrested accused, identified as Dharampal alias Dharampal Bawaria alias Dharam Singh alias Dharam Chand alias Petu Bawaria, son of Leelu alias Ami Lal, is a key member of the infamous Hawa Singh Bawaria gang, which has been linked to several cases of dacoity, robbery and other serious offences across northern India.
According to the Delhi Police, the accused was wanted in multiple criminal cases registered in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. He had been evading arrest since 2005 after escaping from Uttar Pradesh Police custody while being taken back to Lucknow Jail following his production before a court in Haryana.
Police said Dharampal, around 60 years old, was apprehended from Bahal in Haryana’s Bhiwani district after sustained surveillance and intelligence gathering by the Crime Branch. He had allegedly managed to remain underground for over two decades by frequently changing his identity, aliases, and places of residence.
Officials said the accused carried a reward of Rs 20,000 declared by Haryana Police in connection with a dacoity case registered at Narnaul police station in Mahendragarh district, while Uttar Pradesh Police had announced a reward of Rs 10,000 in a case related to his escape from police custody.
The arrest is being viewed as a significant achievement for Delhi Police in its ongoing efforts to track down long-absconding and habitual interstate offenders involved in organised criminal activities.
The Crime Branch had been tasked with tracing accused persons wanted in old and unresolved heinous cases involving organised criminal gangs operating across multiple states.
On June 3, Sub-Inspector Rajbir Singh of WR-II, Crime Branch, received specific information regarding the whereabouts of Dharampal, who was allegedly living in the Bahal-Luharu area of Haryana under a changed identity.
Acting on the information, a special team was constituted by DCP Crime Branch Harsh Indora under the supervision of ACP Rajpal Dabas. The team was led by Inspector Satish Malik and included SI Rajbir Singh, Head Constables Sanjeet, Bhanwar and Ashok Kumar, Constable Ankit, and Woman Constable Kiran.
During the operation, technical surveillance was mounted to verify the accused’s location. After confirming his movements, the team laid a trap in the Bahal-Luharu area and successfully apprehended him.
Police records show that Dharampal had been declared a proclaimed offender by a Haryana court in connection with FIR No. 71/2001 registered under Sections 395, 342, 412, 216A and 120B of the IPC at Padav Police Station in Ambala.
He was also wanted in FIR No. 149/1998 registered under Section 395 of the IPC at Sadar Gohana Police Station in Haryana’s Sonipat.
A reward of Rs 20,000 had been declared for his arrest in FIR No. 304/1999 registered at Narnaul Police Station, Mahendragarh, under Section 395 of the IPC.
Another reward of Rs 10,000 was announced in FIR No. 47/2005 registered under Sections 223 and 224 of the IPC at Alambagh Police Station, Lucknow, in connection with his escape from police custody.
Investigators said the accused has been involved in at least 11 criminal cases, including dacoity, robbery and related offences.
Among the cases registered against him are FIR No. 71/2001 at Padav Police Station in Ambala; FIR No. 149/1998 at Sadar Gohana Police Station, Sonipat; FIR No. 304/1999 at City Narnaul Police Station; FIR No. 295/2002 at Thakurganj Police Station, Lucknow; FIR No. 248/2002 at Sarojini Nagar Police Station, Lucknow; FIR No. 47/2005 at Alambagh Police Station, Lucknow; FIR No. 107/2002 at Padav Police Station, Ambala; FIR Nos. 236/2002 and 219/2002 at Alambagh Police Station, Lucknow; another FIR No. 236/2002 at Sarojini Nagar Police Station; and FIR No. 19/2000 at Harmada Police Station in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Police described him as a habitual offender who frequently shifted locations and adopted different identities to avoid detection. During previous arrests and investigations, he reportedly furnished different residential addresses, including Harsh Vihar in Ghaziabad, Kanina in Mahendragarh, Durga Park in Delhi’s Dabri area, and Jafarpur Kalan in Delhi.
During sustained interrogation, Dharampal allegedly revealed that he had been associated with the Hawa Singh Bawaria gang since the late 1990s.
According to police, he disclosed that the gang was involved in a series of robberies, dacoities and other serious crimes across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
He reportedly told investigators that the gang primarily targeted warehouse and commercial establishments storing electronic goods and other valuable merchandise.
The gang members would travel in trucks, conduct reconnaissance of the target locations and strike during the night. Security guards were allegedly overpowered and held captive before the gang looted the premises. The stolen goods were then transported to different states and disposed of through various channels.
The accused further disclosed that he was first arrested in 1998 by the Haryana Police. He later became actively involved in several major dacoity and robbery cases along with Hawa Singh and other gang members.
In 2004, he was arrested by the Crime Branch in Ghaziabad. However, in 2005, while being transported back to Lucknow Jail after being produced before a court in Ambala, he allegedly escaped from police custody along with Hawa Singh by taking advantage of heavy crowd movement at a railway station.
After his escape, he continuously changed his identity and shifted residences across Haryana and Delhi to avoid arrest. He allegedly lived under assumed names, severed contact with many of his former associates and eventually settled in the Bahal area, where he adopted the identity of “Dharam Chand” and took up farming.
Police said the accused has admitted to his association with the gang and provided information about criminal activities, associates and hideouts. Further interrogation is underway to ascertain his involvement in additional cases and identify other absconding gang members.
According to investigators, Dharampal was born in 1968 in Village Rihau in Punjab’s Patiala district. He belonged to a financially weak family and remained illiterate due to economic hardships. His father worked as a labourer, and he grew up with ten siblings.
Police said his entry into the criminal world came through his relative Hawa Singh, the son of his brother-in-law and the leader of the notorious Bawaria gang. Influenced by the gang’s activities, Dharampal allegedly joined the criminal network and became involved in robberies and dacoities from 1998 onwards.
The gang is believed to have targeted warehouses, transporters and commercial establishments across North India, carrying out organised criminal operations over several years.
Following his escape from police custody in 2005, Dharampal remained on the run for more than two decades. During this period, he frequently changed identities and locations to avoid detection. He initially stayed in Rewari before shifting to the Bahal region, where he lived with his family under an assumed identity while pursuing agricultural work.
The accused is married and has one son and one daughter.
–IANS
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