AK-47 found at Neeraj Bawana's 'family' land

NEW DELHI: The special cell of Delhi Police on Thursday night recovered an AK-47 and a self-loading rifle from a plot belonging to the family of gangster Neeraj Bawana and his uncle, ex-MLA Rambir Shokeen. These weapons were allegedly looted by Bawana and Amit Bhura during the latter's escape from police custody last year. The cell has also arrested jailed gangster Sunil Rathi under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOC) after taking him on a 20-day remand under production warrant, special commissioner of police SN Shrivastava confirmed. Amit Bhura is also being taken on remand and will be arrested under this Act. The cell has registered an FIR under MCOCA against six of these criminals.

Shokeen, police said, is absconding and has not joined the investigation. His phone has been switched off for six days. Police have accused Shokeen of orchestrating Bhura's escape with his nephew's help and hatching the plan at his Nangloi office.The escape created a furore and five policemen were suspended and the Dehradun SSP was transferred over the incident.

Police teams went to Shokeen's office in west Delhi on Thursday and Friday but could not find him. A woman, who police identified as his wife Reeta, picked up the phone once and misbehaved with the cop when he asked about Shokeen's whereabouts, police said. The exMLA, sources said, is likely to be arrested on charges of being a part of the conspiracy. However, in this case he will also be charged under MCOCA.

Denying police's allegations, Shokeen on Friday said that he had nothing to do with Neeraj Bawana and didn't own land in Bawana. “I don't have a single criminal case against me. I am at my office and ready for a Narco test or a CBI probe. Special cell's inspector Umesh Bartwal quizzed me for five hours a fortnight ago and let me go.Now they are just trying to frame me,“ Shokeen had called up TOI to clarify on Friday evening.

The weapons were recovered by a team led by DCP Sanjeev Yadav. The plot from where the recovery was made belongs to Bawana's father Prem Singh, on paper.However, police claim he is just a front for the uncle-nephew duo.

Bawana revealed that in 2013 elections Shokeen spent around Rs 1 crore, which had been collected through land grabbing and extortion. Cops said they had evidence for this. “In February 2015 elections Bawana spent Rs 40 lakh, mostly on buying liquor and bribing voters. This time Shokeen's wife was contesting on a Congress ticket.Another gangster, Sunil Rathi also financed the polls.Bawana and Rathi deployed 40 cars for campaigning in which criminals from Rohtak and Sonipat were used, seven of whom were arrested just a day before voting,“ a senior cell officer said.

Neeraj Bawana's statement has been recorded under MCOCA before ACP Manishi Chandra and he will be arrested on Saturday , a source said. He is being interrogated to ascertain his motives behind retaining the looted AK-47 rifle.

Sources say Bawana and Bhura were to carry out contract killings in Delhi and UP, including that of the latter's rival Cheenu Pandit.