New Delhi: The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested a 30-year-old former army man, who deserted the force in 2012, on charges of murder and robberies.
Sudhir Parihar, who was carrying a reward of Rs one lakh from Delhi and Rs 15,000 from Gwalior on his arrest, was among most wanted inter-state criminals in Mandhya Pradesh and national capital.
Police said that Parihar had joined the Army in 2003 as a Rifleman (Sepoy) and in 2011 when he was posted in Jalandhar, he took leave in December and was to return to his place of posting in January 2012, but he did not rejoin.
Being from the army and also having specialised training as a soldier, he harnessed the clout among the criminals and formed his own gang.
“Parihar, who was arrested from Lucknow, had committed one murder in Gwalior and two robberies in Delhi’s South East area. He is the mastermind of the sensational heist in which they fired upon the victims and robbed the cash outside a bank in Okhla,” said a senior police officer.
The officer said that he had murdered the rival gang leader in Gwalior in 2013 and was later declared a proclaimed offender.
“Parihar developed close relations with other rogue and criminals elements of UP, MP and Delhi and planned two robberies which were executed in Badarpur and Okhla Industrial area.
“In the dacoity of Okhla Industrial Area, he along with Ankesh Singh, Iqrar Khan, Pankaj, Bhura and Anuj had done the reccee of a bank and hatched a plan to rob a bank customer carrying huge cash,” the officer said, adding that Singh, Iqrar Khan and Anuj were recently arrested.