Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested Manoj Rathee, an active member of the Kapil Sangwan gang. He was nabbed at IGI Airport after absconding from the country. Rathee is wanted in an Arms Act case and a 2021 murder case.
Active Kapil Sangwan Gang Member Arrested
An active member of the notorious Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang has been arrested by the Delhi police in connection with an Arms Act case, officials said on Monday. According to the Delhi Police, the absconding accused has been identified as Manoj Rathee. The arrest was made by a team of the Special Cell of the New Delhi Range (NDR) of the Delhi police. The arrest was made under Section 25(8) of the Arms Act.
The accused has been previously involved in two criminal cases, including a murder case of the year 2021 registered at Police Station Najafgarh. In February 2024, the accused absconded from the country, following which a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) was issued against him and a Look Out Circular (LOC) was opened. Later, the culprit was intercepted at IGI Airport and was arrested on January 9, 2026.
The Arms Supply Connection
On February 4, 2024, the Special Cell, NDR, arrested Ankit Mishra and Jitendra Rajput. During the arrest, 12 illegal pistols were recovered from the culprits’ possession. In this regard, an FIR under Section 25(8) of the Arms Act was registered.
During interrogation, the arrested accused Ankit and Jitendra disclosed that they had come to Delhi to supply these illegal weapons to Manoj Rathee and his associates. Efforts were made to trace Manoj Rathee. However, he could not be found at that time. Later, reliable sources revealed that he had fled to another country. Subsequently, on March 5, 2024, a Non-Bailable Warrant was issued against Manoj Rathee by the Patiala House Court, along with the LOC. But on January 9, the accused was intercepted through the LOC at IGI Airport, New Delhi, and arrested in the present case.
Accused’s Criminal History
During interrogation, it was further revealed that he is also wanted in a murder case at Police Station Najafgarh and in a 2021 Arms Act case at Police Station Baba Haridas Nagar. The accused has already been declared a Proclaimed Offender (PO) in the Arms Act case of Police Station Baba Haridas Nagar, and proceedings under Section 82 CrPC are also underway against him in the murder case of Police Station Najafgarh.
Path to a Life of Crime
Accused Manoj Rathee studied up to Class 12 in Bahadurgarh and dropped out in the year 2013. Thereafter, he pursued a Merchant Navy course in Chennai and worked for a shipping company based in Syria. In 2017, he left his job in the Merchant Navy and started working as a property dealer with his cousins in Bahadurgarh. In 2019, he came into contact with Kapil Sangwan and began committing crimes for his gang.
In 2021, acting on the instructions of Kapil Sangwan, he, along with his associates, murdered a property dealer in the area of Police Station Najafgarh. In this connection, an FIR under sections 302/34 IPC and 25/27 Arms Act was registered, and the accused was arrested. He remained in jail for about three years but was later released on bail. After coming out on bail, he started arranging illegal weapons for his gang from suppliers based in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. He struck a deal with Jitendra Rajput and Ankit Mishra, residents of Madhya Pradesh, who came to Delhi to supply the weapons but got arrested, and the weapons were recovered. Thereafter, Manoj Rathee absconded from the country and remained abroad for about two years, during which he continued to work for the Kapil Sangwan Nandu gang from overseas. (ANI)
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