Venkatesh Garg & Bhanu Rana

NEW DELHI: Indian security agencies have achieved a big breakthrough in their operations against criminals, with the detention of two of most-wanted gangsters -Venkatesh Garg and Bhanu Rana – operating from foreign soil. The detentions were made in Georgia and the US, marking a major success in the effort to dismantle international criminal networks. The first criminal, Venkatesh Garg, was apprehended in Tbilisi. Garg, associated with the gang led by UK-based Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu, is wanted in more than 10 criminal cases, including the high-profile murder of a BSP neta in Gurgaon. Garg, a resident of Haryana’s Narayangarh, was living in Georgia and recruiting youth from Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and other states for carrying out contract killings. Garg’s chief Sangwan belongs to Najafgarh in southwest Delhi and is known for running an organised crime syndicate from London, coordinating extortion, murder and arms-related offences. A team of cops from Delhi and Haryana is learnt to have reached Georgia to expedite Garg’s extradition. Cops anticipate that Garg will be brought back to India at the earliest to face trial in over a dozen criminal cases registered against him in Haryana and Punjab. The second detention is that of Bhanu Rana, who was taken into custody in the US. Rana is linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Bishnoi, who hails from Punjab and began his criminal career during student politics, now runs a vast network of hundreds of associates across India and abroad who are involved including heinous crimes, including murder and extortion.‘Bringing two gangsters back to India a challenge’ The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has been implicated in numerous violent crimes, including murder and extortion, and has recently gained notoriety for operating its syndicate from behind bars. Police investigations have revealed that Bhanu Rana’s criminal network is deeply entrenched across Haryana, Punjab and Delhi. His name had also previously surfaced during the investigation into a grenade attack in Punjab. Intelligence suggests that some of Rana’s associates based in the US are actively connected to Bishnoi’s criminal operations. Indian agencies are now working to secure Rana’s swift deportation from the US. Multiple accomplices of Rana have already been arrested in India, and he faces numerous chargesheets in several criminal cases. Sources said these detentions abroad exposed a wider network, as over two dozen Indian gangsters are believed to be operating from abroad, running extortion and smuggling rackets by hiring operatives from India. “The detention of both Garg and Rana is a blow to their respective gangs and underscores the commitment of Indian law enforcement to pursue high-value targets across international borders,” a senior officer said. Sources, however, pointed out that bringing the gangster duo back will be a challenge given the complex extradition procedure, which requires them to submit a range of documents to probe charges prima facie and establish their wanted status.