Kaushal struggled to foot food bills in Dubai, sought money from Gurugram aides

GURUGRAM: Days before his arrest in Dubai, Haryana’s most wanted gangster Kaushal was living in penury and struggling to even pay for his food, police said.
Kaushal, according to one of the investigators, even pleaded with his associates in Gurugram to deposit a few thousands in his account so that he could have food.
The gangster, who is notorious for making extortion calls to traders and businessmen in Gurugram, Faridabad and adjoining areas in NCR, frequently changed his location, from one labour dormitory to another, as he couldn’t afford to rent an apartment in Dubai.
From January 2019, Gurugram police had started to tighten the noose around the gangster. Kaushal’s close aide Amit Dagar and his brother Manish, who were looking after his extortion racket in NCR, were arrested in August 2018.
Later, Kaushal had differences with his aide Sube. In April, around a dozen members of his gang members were arrested from Uttarakhand. Under the Operation Clean Sweep, police had arrested nearly 45 members of Kaushal gang till July 2019, and this has weakened operational capabilities of Kaushal in NCR.
“By sending most of his members behind the bars, we managed to cut his money supply,” said a senior police officer who is privy to the investigation. He also said Kaushal had revealed during the interrogation that after a series of police operati-ons against his gang, he lost most of his sharpshooters and even arms.
Kaushal used to threaten his targets with attack on their installations if they failed to heed to his demand for money. But months before his arrest, he was left with no shooter and weapon.
“After he lost sharpshooters, Kaushal arranged a second-hand Fortuner. He then asked his accomplices to threaten his targets with hit-and-run accidents,” said the police officer, adding that the gangster was in desperate need of money.
Kaushal, who used to make lakhs through extortion, was forced to ask for a few thousands of rupees from his associates for survival in Dubai.
The investigation has revealed that after most of his gang members were sent to jail, traders and businessmen in the city had stopped making payments to him. Kaushal had made extortion calls to a sweet shop owner in July, demanding Rs 50 lakh. “When the shop owner paid no attention to his demand, the gangster called him again, saying he is coming back to India to lead his gang,” said the officer.
The investigator claimed the gangster made conscious efforts to send out a message that he was still in control and could come to India.
Kaushal, who is now in the custody of Gurugram police, has revealed names of his local associates, who include brother of an aspiring politician in the city.
The politician, who has been active in Gurugram and adjoining areas for past one year, is trying to make his presence felt in the upcoming assembly elections.
Police sources said this politician’s brother used to share the details of traders and businessmen with the gangster for making extortion calls. Also, he helped the gangster in sale and purchase of land in the city.
DCP (crime) Rajiv Deshwal said police are interrogating Kaushal and trying to get details of more people who were associated with him. “A special team has been formed to investigate cases related to the gangster,” he said.