Gurgaon: In a month-long crackdown, police and town planning authorities have reclaimed more than 5,410 square yards of govt land worth nearly Rs 350 crore from gangsters and other anti-social elements who had occupied them for years.From dairies and double-storey houses to offices, hutments, shanties, an illegal liquor outlet and an unauthorised PG, the structures had come up on HSVP and HSIDC land or in violation of planning and fire safety norms. The demolition drive began on April 5 and covered 25 illegal properties.Police said the action was taken against 47 offenders involved in extortion, illegal land occupation, narcotics trade, violent crime and Excise Act violations. Together, those covered in the drive face 252 FIRs for offences such as murder, extortion, dacoity, robbery, rioting, assault, Arms Act violations and NDPS cases.The biggest focus was on gangster Kaushal Chaudhary, who faces 72 criminal cases, including 35 in Gurgaon. The teams demolished a dairy built on HSVP land in Naharpur Rupa near his house. The dairy was allegedly run by Ravinder alias Tillu and Satish Kumar, while Kaushal is accused of extorting about Rs 1.5 lakh a month from its operator.Among other major demolitions, jailed gangster Krishan Rampuria, who faces 15 cases, including murder, robbery and Arms Act charges, lost a double-storey house built on a 120sqyd plot in Rampur. Ravinder alias Sarkar, facing 15 cases of murder, extortion and dacoity, saw his 350 sqyd house in Farukhnagar razed. Police believe he is linked to the Lipin Nehra gang.In Basunda village, an office built on agricultural land by Sandeep, nephew of gangster Ajay Jaildar, was demolished. Sandeep faces seven cases, including murder, extortion and Arms Act charges. In Pataudi’s Jhanola village, brothers Narender alias Monu and Pradeep alias Parle, who together face 34 cases, were accused of encroaching on 400-500 sqyd of HSVP land. Police identified them as associates of the Kaushal gang.The drive also hit alleged narcotics and illicit liquor networks. Near Basai flyover, hutments spread over nearly 1,500 sqyd were removed from land allegedly encroached on by Mahender Yadav, who faces two NDPS cases. In Kanahi, 20 illegal shanties on 400 sqyd of HSVP land linked to Jagbandhu Prui, who faces 14 cases, including eight under the NDPS Act, were demolished. Another 35 hutments on 400 sqyd in Sector 53, allegedly raised by Naresh, an accused in an extortion case, were also cleared.In Manesar, Balbir alias Challa, facing eight FIRs under charges such as extortion, theft and Excise Act violations, lost an illegal liquor shop and rented hutments built on 250 sqyd of HSIDC land. Action was also taken against two alleged women drug peddlers, Anita and Sunita, who had built hutments on about 150 sqyd in Sector 21, and against an unauthorised PG in Kanahi linked to Satpal alias Kalu, who faces seven FIRs, including four NDPS cases.Police commissioner Vikas Arora said the drive would continue “in the interest of public safety and law and order”.DCP (crime) Hitesh Yadav said, “The message is clear. If criminals indulge in illegal activities, they will not be spared.”
