UP STF, J&K Police Arrest Four Gataru Gang Members (Img: Dynamite News)
Meerut: Four members of the notorious Gataru gang were arrested in a joint operation by the UP STF and Jammu and Kashmir Police in Meerut. Accused of extortion, robbery, land grabbing, contract killings and deadly attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, the gang members had been hiding in Meerut to evade police action.
Those arrested include three alleged gang members and a local man accused of providing them shelter in Meerut. Police also recovered four mobile phones and a laptop. The operation has brought several details about the gang's network, rivalries and hideouts in other states to light.
According to a press release issued by the UP STF, the operation was carried out at around 11.05 pm on November 2, 2026, in Sotiganj, under the jurisdiction of Sadar Bazaar police station in Meerut.
The arrested men have been identified as Saurabh Gupta, son of Om Prakash Gupta; Gaurav Gupta, son of Om Prakash; Rohit Balona, son of Gopal Krishna Balona; and Maaz Qureshi, son of Zakir Qureshi.
Saurabh, Gaurav and Rohit are residents of the Vijaypur area of Samba district in Jammu and Kashmir, while Maaz Qureshi belongs to Meerut's Sotiganj locality.
Police recovered four mobile phones and a laptop from their possession.
The Meerut field unit of the UP STF was searching for the accused under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Singh.
After receiving specific information that gang members were hiding in Meerut, the STF shared the intelligence with Jammu and Kashmir Police. A team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Athar Bakhshi subsequently arrived in Meerut.
The police teams from both states launched a joint search operation and eventually raided the Sotiganj area on the night of November 2, arresting all four accused.
The STF investigation revealed that the Gataru gang was an active and notorious criminal outfit in Jammu and Kashmir, with its main influence concentrated in Jammu and Samba districts.
The gang has been accused of involvement in serious crimes, including extortion, contract killings, robbery, land grabbing and attempted murder.
The gang was allegedly led by Sumit Jandiyal, alias Gataru, a resident of Vijaypur in Samba district. He operated the criminal network with his brother Saurabh Gupta and other associates.
According to the police, action had previously been taken against Sumit and his brother under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the STF, arrested accused Saurabh Gupta and Vicky Khauf had once studied at the same school. The two attended Academy School in Vijaypur from Class 7 to Class 11.
During their school years, a dispute arose between them over one of Saurabh's friends. The disagreement gradually developed into a personal rivalry.
After Class 11, Saurabh dropped out of school and began working at his father's gunny bag shop.
In 2018, Saurabh's friends Rohit Balona and Akshay Sharma allegedly attacked Sahil Sharma, a member of the Vicky Khauf gang, with a knife, injuring him. The incident further intensified the rivalry between the two gangs.
According to information provided by the STF, Gataru was shot dead on January 21, 2025, in the busy Jewel Chowk area of Jammu city.
He had reportedly been invited to a party, where the killing took place.
In 2025, Gaurav Jandiyal and his associates were accused of plotting and carrying out the murder of liquor businessman Shantanu, a resident of Shahabad in Kurukshetra, Haryana.
The incident took place in June 2025, following which the Haryana STF launched an operation. During the operation, Romel Bohra was killed in a police encounter, while Gaurav Jandiyal and other associates were arrested.
Following Gataru's murder, gang members began looking for safe hideouts in other states.
According to the STF, after Sumit Jandiyal's murder, Saurabh Gupta met Ashu Pandit, a resident of Kalheda village in Baghpat district's Binoli police station area, during a party in Vijaypur. The two subsequently became friends.
Sumit Jandiyal later asked Ashu Pandit to arrange a safe place for him in a rented house in Meerut.
Ashu allegedly accommodated him at his rented house in Subhash Nagar for around a month. He then arranged for him to stay in a flat near Subharti University for approximately three months.
The STF also alleged that Ashu Pandit had provided Sumit Jandiyal with three illegal pistols.
