Haryana gangsters Himanshu Bhau, Neeraj Faridpuria detained in U.S.

Gangsters Himanshu Bhau and Neeraj Faridpuria, wanted in several cases of murder, extortion and high-profile shootings, have been detained by U.S. authorities in Las Vegas following a tip-off from the Haryana Special Task Force (STF).

Confirming the development, Haryana STF Inspector General Simardeep Singh told The Hindu that both gangsters had been detained in Las Vegas.

Himanshu, a native of Ritoli village in Rohtak district, allegedly entered the world of crime at the age of 17, when he was booked in an attempted murder and extortion case, STF sources said. In 2020, he escaped from a juvenile correctional facility in Hisar and subsequently established his gang.

He fled India in 2022 using a fake passport and travelled through Dubai and Portugal before allegedly entering the U.S. illegally about two years ago. He is suspected of remotely directing a network of shooters in India through encrypted messaging applications to carry out extortion and targeted attacks.

A total of 64 criminal cases are registered against him, said the Haryana Police sources.

Neeraj Faridpuria, a native of Palwal district, faces more than two dozen criminal cases registered in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, involving murder, extortion and organised crime.

The two gangsters had also claimed responsibility for the shooting outside the Gurugram residence of YouTuber Elvish Yadav last year. Shooters allegedly fired 25 to 30 rounds outside the house in an incident linked to extortion and betting promotions.