Lucknow: The UP Special Task Force (STF), in a joint operation with Jammu & Kashmir Police, arrested four alleged members of the notorious Gataru gang in connection with several criminal activities, including extortion, robbery, land-grabbing and contract killings in Jammu & Kashmir.The arrests were made late Monday in Sadar Bazaar of Meerut. Four mobile phones and a laptop were recovered from them.The arrested accused have been identified as brothers Saurabh Gupta and Gaurav Gupta, of Samba district of Jammu & Kashmir; Rohit Balona, son of Gopal Krishna Balona, a resident of Ward 11, Vijaypur; and Maaz Qureshi, son of Zakir Qureshi, a resident of Soti Ganj in Meerut.The operation followed intelligence inputs received from Samba Police on Oct 22 that members of the gang, wanted in connection with serious criminal activities in Jammu & Kashmir, were hiding in Meerut.
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ASP (STF) Brijesh Kumar Singh said that preliminary interrogation revealed that the Gataru gang was a notorious and active criminal syndicate operating primarily in the Jammu and Samba districts of Jammu & Kashmir.The gang is allegedly involved in extortion, contract killings, robberies, illegal land occupation and murderous assaults. The syndicate was reportedly headed by Sumit Jandiyal alias Gataru, a resident of Vijaypur in Samba district, who operated the network along with his brother Saurabh Gupta and other associates.According to the STF, both brothers had earlier faced action under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in Jammu & Kashmir.The STF also highlighted the longstanding rivalry between the Gataru gang, the Vicky Khauf gang and the group led by Vikas Salathia. The rival groups have reportedly been involved in a prolonged gang war over territorial dominance and supremacy.
