Chandigarh: The Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday claimed to have apprehended 145 hardcore criminals, including 71 members of various gangs affiliated to Rohit Godara, Lawrence Bishnoi, Himanshu Bhau and others, over the last two months.STF chief B Satheesh Balan said those arrested included 22 criminals who carried various amounts of cash rewards on their heads in different states.“The STF, Haryana, remains steadfast in its commitment to combating organised crime and maintaining public order across the state. With a focused and intelligence-driven approach, the STF Haryana continues to take decisive action against criminal gangs, habitual offenders, and elements involved in heinous and organised crimes,” said Balan.According to information, the arrests were also made in incidents related to exchange of fire and deportation of gangsters from abroad. This year so far, four gangsters have been deported from various countries, including Ankit Shokeen, Aman Bhainswal, Somveer alias Mota, and Shilu Dahar.The STF also claimed to have recovered caches of arms from them. They also said five hardcore criminals were captured in four incidents of crossfire.The STF further elaborated, explosives were found inside a car in Baldev Nagar police station area in Ambala in January.An explosive device was planted in a Maruti 800 car parked inside Baldev Nagar police station, Ambala, to carry out a blast at the behest of Pakistani gangster-terrorist Shehzad Bhatti and Babbar Khalsa. However, the plan was foiled and seven accused persons have been arrested in the case so far.The STF also revealed that in a joint operation with the Mumbai Police, four accused persons were arrested for firing at filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s house on the directions of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.The accused were handed over to the anti-extortion cell, Mumbai Police, stated the STF.They also stated that STF Karnal arrested four members of the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar gang in January and recovered foreign-made pistols from their possession. The arrests were linked to the murder and extortion conspiracies in India and the USA.A bulletproof SUV (Endeavour) was also recovered.In February, two Pakistani nationals escaped from the correction home in Jammu’s R S Pura after shooting two police personnel. They were later apprehended by the STF Ambala at Ambala Cantt railway station and handed over to the Jammu police, stated the STF.The STF Gurugram, meanwhile, arrested three accused persons in relation to firing at a showroom on the Golf Course road in Gurugram in February, for which gangster Deepak Nandal had claimed the responsibility. Two country-made pistols along with magazines and seven live cartridges were recovered from their possession.Through sustained operations, inter-agency coordination, and strategic enforcement measures, STF Haryana achieved significant breakthroughs in dismantling gang networks and neutralising threats posed by both local and foreign-based criminals. These efforts reflect the organisation’s resolve to ensure the safety and security of citizens and to uphold the rule of law, said Balan.MSID:: 128975500 413 |Crackdown on CriminalsS No | Name of Gang | Members Arrested1 | Rohit Godara | 172 | Lawrence Bishnoi | 153 | Himanshu Bhau | 34 | Kaushal Chaudhary | 55 | Noni Rana | 26 | Kapil Nandu | 57 | Deepak Nandal | 48 | Others | 20Recovery of Arms and AmmunitionPeriod | Pistols | Country-made Pistols | Magazine | CartridgesJan-Feb 2026 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 65Exchange of FirePeriod | Incidents | Criminals InjuredJan-Feb 2026 | 4 | 5Gangsters Deported in 2026Name | Deportation CountryAnkit Shokeen | ThailandAman Bhainswal | USASomveer alias Mota | USAShilu Dahar | Moscow
