National level wrestler-turned-gangster Manjeet Dalal held at Delhi's Singhu Border

New Delhi: Delhi Police has arrested fugitive gangster and former national-level wrestler Manjeet Dalal, from the Singhu Border area here, an official said on Sunday.

The accused, a sharpshooter associated with the Neeraj Bawana-Amit Bhura gang, had been absconding and was wanted in multiple cases, including firing on police teams, attempted murder and mafia extortion, an official statement said.

"Dalal, a native of Bahadurgarh, Haryana, had once been a wrestler, securing a silver medal at the national level in 2007 in the 86 kg category," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam said in the statement.

However, his life took a turn after his mother died of cancer in 2010 and his father left home, following which he joined notorious gangster Neeraj Bawana's gang, the officer said.

Police was informed that the accused had stopped attending court hearings and abandoned his native residence, Gautam said.

After a month-long operation, police received a tip-off regarding his movements near the Singhu Border. A trap was laid and Dalal was arrested without any gunfire, he added.

There are at least 10 major cases registered against him, including -- 2018 Pishori restaurant shooting, in which he opened fire for extortion, injuring two people in Lajpat Nagar, the statement said.

He was also involved in multiple attacks on police teams in Narela Industrial Area and Lado Sarai.

In 2012, he was linked to a series of extortion demands from businessmen in Bawana, an extortion case in 2017 involving a doctor in Uttar Pradesh and carjacking, it added.

Dalal was also closely associated with some of Delhi's most wanted criminals, including Neeraj Bawana, Naveen Bali, Amit Bhura and Rahul Kala. At the time of his arrest, he was in regular contact with Sahil Ritauli, another wanted gangster currently absconding abroad the officer said.