Know about Kapil Sangwan; UK-based gangster claiming responsibility for INLD leader's killing

New Delhi: A wanted gangster, suspected to be staying in the United Kingdom, is among the main suspects in the killing of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) Haryana unit chief Nafe Singh Rathee, sources in the Delhi Police said.

Kapil Sangwan (32) alias Nandu, a native of Delhi's Najafgarh is wanted in 18 cases including MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act), murder, attempt to murder, extortion and robbery and arms act in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan, according to Sangwan's dossier prepared by the Delhi Police.

Rathee and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) worker Jai Kishan were killed when their vehicle was sprayed with bullets in Jhajjar's Bahadurgarh on Sunday.

Sangwan, a dropout from a hotel management course at a reputed private university in Haryana's Manesar, also has a reward of Rs 2 lakh for his arrest by the Delhi Police.

On Wednesday, in a purported social media post, Sangwan claimed responsibility for gunning down Rathee and Kishan.

The post said that Rathee was killed due to his close friendship with Sangwan's rival, gangster Manjeet Mahal. The post, which is being verified by Haryana Police, carried a picture of Rathee shaking hands with Mahal.

According to a Delhi Police officer, Sangwan and Mahal – both residents of Najafgarh – have been part of a feud since 2015 when Mahal and his men allegedly killed Sangwan's brother-in-law Sunil alias 'Doctor'.

On instructions from his elder brother Jyoti Prakash alias Baba, who is currently in Tihar jail, to take revenge, Sangwan formed a team of his associates and killed Nafe Singh alias ‘Mantri’, who was a close associate of Mahal, the officer said. Jyoti Prakash is the other half of the infamous Kapil-Jyoti Baba gang.

Jyoti Prakash is also facing over a dozen cases, including for murder, attempt to murder, extortion and illegal arms, the officer said.

Both brothers have close associations with liquor barons in Rajasthan and Gujarat, he said.

In 2017, Sangwan also gunned down Mahal's father Shri Krishna in his house in Nazafgarh.

According to Sangwan's dossier, his crime graph began with the first case of extortion registered against him in Delhi's Chhawla area in September 2014. He was booked for an attempt to murder in Chhawla in November 2014 and in the same month, he was found to be involved in a robbery in Haryana's Jind.

Sangwan is also known to be short-tempered and trigger-happy, a police officer said. Between 2014 and 2016, he was allegedly involved in at least 12 crimes in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The officer said he was previously arrested by Rajasthan Police from Bhagrota in Jaipur on April 29, 2016 along with five of his associates – Sachin, Gulshan, Gajraj, Pankaj and Paramjeet. He was booked in a case of MCOCA by Delhi Police Special Cell in 2019, as per the dossier.

But in 2020, Sangwan managed to flee to the United Kingdom when he came out of jail on parole for a month, the officer. He procured a fake passport from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly and fled to Dubai via Thailand and then settled in the UK, he said.

Delhi Police Special Cell has also booked him in a case of cheating and forgery for procuring fake passport and fleeing from the country, he said.

Another officer said after getting parole, Sangwan's associates had arranged a grand welcome party in a farm house in Najafgarh, where the Delhi police Crime Branch conducted the raid before his arrival.

As per the dossier, members of his gang who work under Sangwan are Vipin alias Judu, Anil Sharma alias Podi, Vicky alias Khadu, Amit Dahiya, Prashant Gullia, Vasudev alias Vasu and Kirshna Kumar alias Ankush.

The officer said Sangwan has gained notoriety by extorting money from businessmen in southwest Delhi. Currently, his group is mostly involved in extortion cases and contract killings, he said.