Kartoos fired at policemen when they intercepted him early on Sunday. Special CP (crime) Ravindra Yadav said Kartoos sustained two gunshots in his right leg when cops fired in retaliation.
During interrogation, Kartoos revealed that he was acting at the behest of jailed gangsters Kala Jathedi and Ranu Basodi, who were allegedly nurtured by Lawrence Bishnoi, confirming TOI’s report on January 10.His henchmen had left a “demand letter” at the target’s office.
The same set of men were involved in a similar incident at another builder’s office in Bindapur in November last year and had demanded Rs 2 crore, police said.
Kartoos and his associates had also wreaked havoc at a wedding function in Rajasthan last November when they landed there to eliminate a target, the contract for which they had taken from a city-based lawyer. As they opened indiscriminate fire, the 22-year-old target was killed and an Uttar Pradesh policeman and an armyman sustained gunshot injuries.
Sources said that Kartoos got his last name for the following reasons – he was trigger happy and fond of bullets and was also inspired by a movie featuring Sanjay Dutt by this name.
Crime Branch had been trying to track him down since November, but he was frequently changing his hideouts.
Inspector Krishan and Gulshan’s team received a tip-off that Kartoos would come to Chhawla to meet an associate and commit a similar crime. A trap was laid by a team led by DCP Amit Goel and ACP Naresh Kumar.
“The team reached near Chhawla Drain and initiated picket-checking. Around 2.45 am, a motorcycle was spotted and intercepted. The biker tried to flee but he was not able to control the motorcycle and slipped while turning. He was asked to surrender but he fired four rounds at the police party,” special CP Yadav added.
The police team fired in self-defence and apprehended Kartoos after an exchange of fire. He was then taken to a hospital for treatment.
Kartoos told cops that he was released on bail in a murder case in Sonipat, Haryana in 2018. In 2022, he came into contact with Jathedi, Anil Chippi, Dinesh Karala and Basodi, who were being nurtured by Lawrence Bishnoi.
Impressed, Kartoos joined the syndicate. He would provide logistics and shooters to execute extortion-related firing incidents in Delhi/NCR.
In 2023, the gangs had a free run, extorting money and threatening city-based businessmen. Besides this, syndicates headed by Bishnoi and Jathedi, and foreign-based players like Goldy Brar, Kapil Sangwan, Himanshu Bhau and Arshdeep Dalla kept Delhi Police on their toes.
These gangsters targeted bookies, builders, property dealers, traders and industrialists, employing a typical modus operandi.
A gangster placed a demand for protection money through WhatsApp messages and calls. If the target agreed to pay a negotiated amount, the matter ended there. Otherwise, the gangsters would send gunmen to deliver a demand letter and open fire at their residence or office.
In a majority of cases, the cops managed to nab the henchmen but that was hardly a deterrent as the gangsters chose another set of youths recruited through social media for their next job.
