TikTok enthusiast arrested for shootout with rival gang

The Delhi Police on Monday said they have arrested a 23-year-old TikTok user in connection with a shooting incident in which two members of his rival gang had sustained bullet injuries in southwest Delhi’s Vikas Nagar near Ranhola on June 1. Police said the shoot out was the fallout of a rivalry between two criminal gangs over establishing extortion money from people running betting rackets in Ranhola. The members of the two groups had been threatening each other and looking for opportunities to kill their rivals, they said.

Police said the suspect, Aakash alias Monu is a resident of west Delhi’s Vikaspuri. They also said that Monu is the same person who featured in a widely shared video that showed Aakash and his friend Shahzad brandishing a pistol in March this year.

The two were arrested by the Dwarka district police. They had disclosed that they had posted the video with the illegal gun on social media to become famous in Delhi’s crime world, police said.

Additional commissioner of police (crime branch) Ajit Kumar Singla said that on the intervening night of June 1 and 2, a shootout took place in Vikas Nagar in which several rounds were fired by six members of Jasmit alias Jimmy gang at members of their rival Suraf Fighter’s gang.

Suraj Fighter’s associates, Suraj and Manoj, were injured in the firing. While Manoj, a former judo player, was hit by a bullet in his head, Suraj was shot in his legs. At least half a dozen bullets were fired.

A case was registered at the Ranhola police station and the crime branch was also roped in. On Friday, the crime branch team received information that one of the attackers would come in Vikaspuri to meet his associate with illegal firearms.

“Accordingly, a trap was laid and Monu was caught. One country made pistol and four cartridges were recovered from him,” said Singla, adding Monu was previously involved in three cases.

Police said Monu initially worked in a Hukka parlour in Vikaspuri. He also started making TikTok videos and uploading them on social media. His videos made him a TikTok star in his neighbourhood. Around a year ago, Monu left the Hukka parlour job and began working as an accountant of a betting operator, Jasmit alias Jimmy.

“As Jimmy started collecting protection money from other betting operators, Suraj fighter’s gang became his rival as both wanted to establish their supremacy in the illegal business,” said the officer.