New Delhi: A suspected member of the Goldy Brar-Lawrence Bishnoi gang, arrested by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police in connection with a firing incident at the residence of liquor baron and former Punjab MLA Deep Malhotra in West Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh, has been granted bail by the Delhi High Court. The court observed that the accused, Gaurav Rana, was not among the actual shooters involved in the incident.
The firing occurred after Malhotra reportedly refused to pay extortion money to Goldy Brar. Gaurav Rana filed a bail application through Advocate Pradeep Khatri, who argued that Rana’s arrest was based solely on the disclosure statement of co-accused Vansh Gola, who had already been released on bail. Khatri highlighted that Rana has been in judicial custody since December.
The prosecution opposed the bail request, citing Rana’s alleged involvement in a separate murder case. However, the High Court noted that Rana was not directly involved in the shooting, and subsequently granted him bail with specific conditions.
“The petitioner is granted regular bail upon furnishing a personal bond of Rs. 50,000 with one surety of the same amount,” the High Court stated.
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Case Background: On December 4, 2023, an FIR was registered based on the statement of Yogesh Kumar, the security guard at Deep Malhotra’s bungalow in Punjabi Bagh, West Delhi. Kumar reported that two individuals had fired at the main gate of the bungalow and fled the scene. The case was initially filed under Sections 336/34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act at the Punjabi Bagh Police Station, before being transferred to the Crime Branch for further investigation.
Following a tip-off, the Crime Branch arrested an individual named Akash, alias Kasha, who revealed his involvement along with two accomplices, Sombir and Nitesh, alias Sinti. Akash was allegedly in contact with Rohit Moi of the Gogi Gang on Instagram, who subsequently introduced him to Vishal Chaudhary of the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang via the Signal app. Chaudhary then directed Akash to orchestrate the shooting at Malhotra’s residence, which was executed by Sombir and Nitesh.
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Further arrests included Nitesh and Sombir, as well as Vansh Gola, who allegedly assisted the group. During the investigation, additional charges under Sections 307, 120B, and 482 of the IPC were added to the case.
Advocate Pradeep Khatri noted that Test Identification Parade (TIP) proceedings for Sombir and Nitesh were conducted, but the complainant failed to identify them. The Crime Branch also recorded a statement from Deep Malhotra, in which he disclosed that gangster Goldy Brar had made extortion calls to him in October 2023. When his demands were not met, Brar allegedly ordered the burning of two of Malhotra’s liquor shops through his associates.
The investigation also revealed that the accused were in contact with an individual operating from Clovis, California, USA.