Jaipur, May 21 (IANS) In a significant breakthrough, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of Rajasthan Police has arrested a gangster named Rajveer Gurjar alias Lara from Haryana, who carried a bounty of Rs one lakh on his head.

The 32-year-old criminal is a resident of Khairoli village under the Mahendragarh police station, Haryana and was arrested in Rewari.

Lara had been absconding for over five years in the sensational jailbreak case involving notorious gangster Vikram Gurjar alias Papla from Behror police station.

According to Additional Director General of Police (AGTF & Crime) Dinesh M.N., over 30 armed men led by Rajveer Gurjar alias Lara stormed the Behror police station in Rajasthan using AK-47s and other sophisticated weapons, and managed to free Haryana’s infamous gangster Vikram Gurjar alias Papla, a resident of Khairoli, district Mahendragarh, who was arrested by Behror police along with a Scorpio vehicle and Rs 31.90 lakh in cash. The dramatic incident took place on the intervening night of September 5-6, 2019, when Papla was taken out of prison by the accused and his accomplices.

Seventeen months after the incident, on the night of January 27-28, 2021, Papla Gurjar was re-arrested from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, along with his girlfriend Jiya by the Emergency Response Team (ERT) under the leadership of ASP Bhiwadi Siddhant Sharma. So far, 32 accused have been arrested in the case. However, Lara had remained at large, with a bounty of Rs one lakh announced for his capture.

A special AGTF team was constituted to track and apprehend Lara, operating under the coordination of DIG Yogesh Yadav, supervision of ASP Siddhant Sharma, and leadership of DSP Phoolchand Taylor.

The operation was codenamed “Operation Lara” — a reference to Rajveer Gurjar’s childhood cricketing skills, which had earned him the nickname “Lara” in his village.

During the search, police discovered that Rajveer Gurjar had completely distanced himself from mobile phones and social media to evade arrest. He also severed ties with family, friends, and former associates. His movements remained low-profile, and he lived in isolation. Over the past six years, Gurjar is believed to have lived in 18-20 different states, including Vijay Nagar (Karnataka), Kolhapur and Nashik (Maharashtra), Goa, Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), and various locations in Delhi and Haryana. He frequently changed his appearance and used aliases while travelling long distances by train and bus, never staying in one place for long.

Following his arrest, a search based on information provided by Gurjar led to the recovery of an AK-56 rifle with a double magazine and seven live cartridges. Constable Sudhir Kumar from the Bhiwadi unit of AGTF played a key role in the operation and the subsequent recovery.

The police said that Lara is a habitual offender involved in multiple serious crimes, including murder and assault.

–IANS

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