Most-wanted gangster Vikram Gurjar alias Papla — who was on the run ever since his daring filmy-style escape from police custody around 17 months ago — could not escape the long arm of law as he was arrested on Thursday by Rajasthan police along with his ‘girlfriend’ from Kolhapur in Maharashtra.
The manner in which his capture was planned and executed was equally pulsating as was his dramatic escape from Behror police station lockup in September 2019 in true Bollywood style when his gang fired indiscriminately with modern weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles, to free him and whisk him away.
Carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head, Gurjar tried his level best to escape the police dragnet by jumping off a building, but was not lucky this time. He sustained injuries in his hands and legs in the process.
Director General of Police ML Lathar said: “A special 26-member team of Jaipur Range officials, including commandos, led by Additional Superintendent of Police Siddhant Sharma was formed on the directions of IGP Hawa Singh Ghumaria. Another backup team led by ASP Rajendra Singh Sisodia was stationed in Pune in Maharashtra.”
Sharma’s team stayed in Kolhapur for a week and managed to trace the plush house in the city in which the criminal was holed up along with his girlfriend Jiyaussahar Sigligar of Satara after intensive investigation, which included contacts with migrant Rajasthan natives living in the Maharashtra city as well as gymnasiums.
Finally, ASP Sharma zeroed in on Gurjar’s lair through videos and photographs of adjoining houses on January 26 and shared the information with IGP Ghumaria and informed him of the ground situation. Accordingly, a strategy was planned for safe operation on ground zero to arrest the absconding criminal.
On the January 27-28 night, as per the plan, police officers and commandos led by ASP Sharma surrounded the building. Gurjar tried to escape by jumping off the building, but vigilant commandos caught hold of him.
The DGP said that the police team led by ASPs Sharma and Sisodia will reach Jaipur along with Vikram Gurjar and his girlfriend who had sheltered him. Further action would be taken as per the rules, he added.
Interstate criminal Gurjar was arrested while he was travelling on a SUV on September 5, 2019 during patrolling by a team of Bahrod police and Rs 32 lakh seized from him.
Around 7.30 am on September 6, 2019, 8-10 armed miscreants from his gang reached Bahrod police station and freed him from the lockup and fled. Around 30 members of his gang have been arrested ever since. All carried awards of Rs 50,000 on their heads.
