New Delhi: A Delhi-based criminal who has been active in the world of crime for the past three decades was arrested by the Police last week HT reported.
The accused Goonga Pehelwan (55) was arrested on charges of extortion and assault, though the criminal godman has retired from crime business handing over his business to his sons and nephews to carry the family extortion business.
Going Pehelwan or Mohammed Umar came back into the business after the arrest of his eldest son Abid (31) on charges of murder according to the Police.
Now the father-son duo both are lodged in the same prison after the father’s arrest. The family hails from UP’s Khurja and Pehalwan is a former wrestler.
He is reported to have moved to Delhi in the early 80s with his younger brother Anwar alias Anwar Langda. In the mid-80s, the two brothers had opened a vegetable shop in Darya Ganj. However, they later shifted their shop to the Okhla vegetable market.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) speaking of the chain of events that led to the arrest of Goonga pehelwan, said, Chinmoy Biswal an autorickshaw driver has approached the police for help against Pehelwan’s demanded extortion money.
The driver said Pehelwan demanded Rs. 3000 from him to allow him to park his auto in the area. He further alleged that Pehalwan has also assaulted him when he refused to pay the money.
“Pehalwan had demanded protection money from the driver and had also robbed the man of 4kg ghee that was in his vehicle. We had registered a case against Pehalwan but he was absconding. He had also applied for anticipatory bail in the Delhi High Court but it was rejected. On July 17, we arrested him from Jaitpur, where he had purchased a new flat. He was hiding there,” the DCP said.
According to Police records at least 13 members of Pehalwan’s family have cases registered against them on charges of robbery, extortion, murder and attempt to murder.
Though the daughters of this criminal family have no criminal records, Pehelwan’s seven sons, including a minor, have history of crime.
Pehelwan and his wife Nabahan both were arrested by the Police. As many as 13 cases are known to be registered against Pehelwan alone.
In September 2015, a resident welfare association in Srinivaspuri had filed a police complaint against the family, wherein the residents accused the family of terrorizing the residents in the area.