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Wanted gangsters Himanshu Bhau and Neeraj Faridpuria were arrested in Las Vegas following intelligence inputs from Haryana STF, according to officials. (Img: X)
Las Vegas: Indian law enforcement agencies have secured a significant breakthrough in their pursuit of two alleged organised-crime operatives, Himanshu Bhau and Neeraj Faridpuria, following their arrest in Las Vegas, United States. The arrests, carried out on October 22 after intelligence inputs from the Haryana Special Task Force (STF), involved US law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and, according to police accounts, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The Haryana STF is coordinating with central agencies and American authorities to initiate the legal process for bringing the two men back to India. Both are wanted in multiple criminal cases, including murder, extortion and other alleged offences, while investigators suspect their networks have operated across state boundaries and from overseas locations.
Officials said the operation followed approximately six weeks of intelligence gathering and technical surveillance to establish the suspects’ whereabouts. Their arrest is expected to assist investigations into several violent incidents in the Delhi-NCR region and Haryana, although their alleged involvement in individual cases must be established through evidence and legal proceedings.
According to Haryana STF officials, investigators collected technical intelligence over roughly one and a half months before locating the two men in Las Vegas. The information was shared with US authorities through channels involving Indian central agencies, paving the way for the joint enforcement operation.
The STF said the two suspects were together when they were detained. Reports have described the operation as involving ICE and the FBI, while other accounts have highlighted the role of US immigration authorities in the arrests.
The next major step is their transfer to India. Haryana Police officials have indicated that the process to secure their return has begun, but the timeline will depend on applicable US legal procedures, immigration proceedings and the relevant extradition or other lawful transfer mechanisms.
The arrests also underscore the growing role of cross-border intelligence sharing and international law enforcement cooperation in cases involving alleged criminal networks operating from outside India.
Himanshu Bhau, whose real name is Himanshu Ritoliya, was born in 2002 and is listed among the most-wanted suspects by Haryana and Delhi Police. Investigators have linked him to alleged offences involving murder, kidnapping, extortion, attempted murder, criminal intimidation and forgery.
According to police accounts, Bhau entered the criminal world as a teenager and escaped from a juvenile correctional facility in 2020 along with other inmates. He subsequently became associated with a network alleged to have operated across Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Police have described him as a rival of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and linked his associates to a broader rivalry involving the Bishnoi-Goldy Brar network. Reports have also associated Bhau with the Neeraj Bawana gang and other criminal networks, although the nature of these relationships varies across investigations.
An Interpol Red Notice was issued against Bhau in August 2023, according to reports. At the time, police said he was wanted in 18 cases involving offences such as murder, attempted murder, extortion, criminal intimidation and forgery. Subsequent reports have cited a larger number of cases registered against him, reflecting the range of investigations in which his name has surfaced.
Haryana STF officials have more recently cited at least 41 cases against Bhau across Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab and other jurisdictions. These figures refer to registered cases and do not, by themselves, establish guilt in each matter.
Investigators have also alleged that Bhau left India in 2022 using a passport obtained through forged documents and an altered identity. Some reports have linked his overseas movements to Portugal, while others have described his alleged operations from abroad. His precise movements and the extent of his overseas network remain matters for investigators to establish.
Neeraj Faridpuria, a resident of Haryana’s Palwal district, has also been linked by police to several serious criminal cases. Reports have cited more than 25 cases against him, while a senior Haryana STF officer has put the number at 63. The discrepancy in publicly reported figures may reflect different case counts or reporting periods and should be reconciled against official records.
Faridpuria first came under police scrutiny in 2012, when Haryana Police arrested him following an encounter. In 2015, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case. The Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail in 2019.
His name subsequently surfaced in the investigation into the June 26, 2019, murder of Congress spokesperson Vikas Chaudhary, who was shot dead in Faridabad. Following the killing, Faridpuria allegedly left India for Canada via Dubai, according to reports. He later became associated with the Bambiha gang, a rival of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and subsequently moved to the United States, where investigators suspect he worked alongside members of the Himanshu Bhau network.
Police officials have said Faridpuria fled India in 2019, while Bhau left in 2022. Investigators suspect that forged travel documents and changes in identity helped the men remain outside the country. Interpol notices were reportedly issued against both men as Indian agencies sought to locate them internationally.
The Haryana Police had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh each for information leading to their arrest, according to STF officials. Other state police forces had also announced rewards, reports said.
Investigators suspect the two men were associated with criminal networks that used threats, targeted shootings and intimidation to extort money from traders, businessmen, property developers and other commercial entities.
According to Haryana STF officials, the alleged operations were not confined to a single city or state. Police have been examining whether overseas-based handlers coordinated with associates in India to arrange weapons, financing, logistics and attacks.
The alleged use of international locations as operational bases has added complexity to investigations, particularly where suspects are believed to have changed identities or used intermediaries to communicate with associates in India. Their arrest in the US could enable investigators to pursue additional leads, subject to the evidence available and the legal process governing their return.
The Himanshu Bhau gang has figured in investigations into several high-profile shootings in Delhi-NCR. One prominent case is the 2024 killing of a 26-year-old man at a Burger King outlet in Rajouri Garden, Delhi. Bhau reportedly claimed responsibility for the murder in a social media post, alleging that the victim had been involved in the 2020 killing of an associate identified as Shakti Dad. The circumstances and alleged motive form part of the wider criminal investigation.
The gang has also been linked by investigators to the firing outside YouTuber Elvish Yadav’s residence in Gurugram on August 17, 2025. Two alleged sharpshooters associated with the group were arrested in connection with the incident. Police reports said the suspects had been regrouping in Delhi for another alleged attack when they were apprehended.
Following their arrest, the suspects reportedly told investigators that they had acted on instructions attributed to Neeraj Faridpuria and Himanshu Bhau. The two men were alleged to have arranged weapons, funds and logistical support. These claims remain allegations to be tested through the legal process.
The cases have drawn attention to the alleged use of armed associates to carry out targeted attacks while senior figures are believed to be operating from outside India. Investigators are examining whether such incidents were linked to extortion, gang rivalry or other motives.
The network has also surfaced in the investigation into the killing of a close aide of Haryanvi pop singer Rahul Yadav, popularly known as Fazilpuria, in Gurugram. Gangster Sunil Sardhaniya, who is believed to operate from abroad, reportedly claimed responsibility for the murder through a social media post. Sardhaniya has also been alleged to have links to the Himanshu Bhau gang.
Investigators have been examining social media claims of responsibility in multiple cases, but such posts must be independently verified and corroborated with forensic, witness and other evidence before they can establish a suspect’s role.
Police have also investigated suspected links between the gang and shootings in south and outer Delhi. These include the killing of gym trainer Vijay Kumar in the Aya Nagar area in September. According to police accounts, Kumar was inside a gym when he was allegedly called outside, after which two men on a motorcycle opened fire near Hansa Chowk in the Fatehpur Beri area. Around 15 rounds were reportedly fired.
Kumar sustained multiple gunshot injuries and later died. Delhi Police registered a case and formed teams to trace the attackers. The initial investigation reportedly considered personal enmity as a possible motive, while authorities also examined a social media post attributed to Bhau that claimed responsibility. The alleged gang connection has not, by itself, established who carried out the killing.
Another case under investigation concerns the murder of 55-year-old dairy businessman Ratan Lohia in Aya Nagar earlier this year. Police sources said the assailants allegedly fired more than 60 rounds after conducting reconnaissance in the area.
Lohia’s family alleged that he was killed by Rambir Lohia and his relatives in retaliation for the earlier death of Rambir’s 24-year-old son, Arun, who was shot dead near Chhattarpur Metro Station. Police also examined a possible role for Neeraj Faridpuria and whether the shooters had travelled from Haryana before abandoning their vehicle. Four alleged members of the Himanshu Bhau gang were reportedly arrested in connection with Lohia’s murder.
These investigations involve competing allegations and possible personal or gang-related motives. The circumstances of each killing must be assessed separately rather than treated as proof of a single coordinated conspiracy.
The international search for Bhau and Faridpuria has involved Interpol notices, according to reports. A Red Notice asks law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate a person wanted by a member country and seek provisional arrest, where permitted by domestic law, pending extradition or similar legal proceedings.
A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant and does not itself compel every country to arrest the person named. Any transfer to India must follow the applicable legal framework and decisions of the relevant authorities.
The Las Vegas arrests therefore represent an important step in the process, but they do not mean that the suspects have already been deported or extradited. Indian agencies must now work with their US counterparts to complete the required legal formalities.
Haryana STF officials have said the process to bring both men back to India has begun. Their return could allow investigating agencies to question them in cases registered across several states, subject to court orders and the legal conditions governing their transfer.
The arrests also give police an opportunity to examine alleged links among gangs, intermediaries and individuals suspected of arranging weapons, money or logistics for violent crimes. Investigators will need to establish each accused person’s role through admissible evidence and case-specific proceedings.
For now, the two men remain suspects wanted in multiple Indian criminal cases, and the process of bringing them back is ongoing. The outcome will depend on cooperation between Indian and US authorities and the applicable legal procedures.
