The Hindu : New Delhi News : D-company shooter in police custody

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Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

D-company shooter in police custody

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: An alleged sharpshooter of D-Company has been arrested in Sangam Vihar here by the South Delhi police. The accused had escaped from police custody while being taken to Rajasthan from Delhi by train on October 18.

Anil Soni was being taken to Bikaner for production in a court when he escaped. All the members of the police escort team were arrested on charges of facilitating his escape from their custody.

Trap laid

Acting on a tip-off that Anil would come to Kaya Maya Hospital on Mehrauli-Badarpur Road on Monday, a team under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kalkaji) V.P. Singh laid a trap and arrested him around 6-30 p.m. A 9 m.m. pistol was allegedly seized from him.

During interrogation, Anil purportedly disclosed that he belongs to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. In 1993, he went to Mumbai where he came in contact with some criminal elements. He allegedly joined the underworld the next year and was involved in the murder of a Customs inspector, Santosh Patole. Later he started extorting money at the behest of some Dubai-based underworld dons. The police said he was in judicial custody in connection with the murder case when he planned an attack on a famous film star in 1996.

Extortion business

Anil was released on bail in 1997 after which he vanished from the scene and again started the extortion business, but in 1999 he had to shift base to the Capital due to pressure mounted by the Mumbai police. At the instance of Dawood Ibrahim’s trusted lieutenant Aftab Batki, he continued to circulate fake currency notes. He was arrested by the Darya Ganj police in a fake currency case. Anil was arrested around the same time by the Lodhi Colony police in connection with a threat case.

The Jaipur police later arrested him and seized Rs.35 lakh in fake currency. He was convicted in that case for 10 years. The police said that despite being in judicial custody, Anil continued to run the extortion business through his musclemen and also targeted some film stars.

The Delhi police have informed their Rajasthan police counterparts of prize catch.

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