In a high-stakes midnight operation punctu ated by gunfire and a tense standoff, the Delhi Police Crime Branch gunned down an interstate dacoi ty trail that had stretched as far as Goa, arresting six alleged Bangladeshi crimi nals after a fierce exchange of fire near Sarai Kale Khan in the early hours of April 15. Acting on specific intel ligence that a major daco ity was imminent in South Delhi, a Crime Branch team from the Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Cell (AEKC) moved in under the cover of darkness, laying a trap for the gang believed to be behind a string of violent robberies across multiple States including Goa.
What followed was a brief but fiery encounter. As police closed in, the suspects allegedly opened fire in a desperate bid to break through the cordon. Officers responded with controlled retaliation, triggering a gun battle that lit up the otherwise quiet stretch near Sarai Kale Khan. When the fir ing ceased, six men had been overpowered and arrested, while two others slipped away into the dark of night. The arrested accused have been identified as Su man Hauldhar (35), Saifful Islam (31), Sohail Sheikh (35), Md Nasir (48), Noor Islam (56) and Zakir (40), all residents of Bagerhat district in Bangladesh. Weapons recovered at the scene — including four country-made pistols, live and spent cartridges, a dagger and house-breaking tools — pointed to a gang specialised in dacoity. Investigators say the ar rests could crack open a wider criminal network linked to at least 14 serious offences, including dacoi ty, attempted murder and murder, across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa. Two high-value cases in Goa had put the gang on the ra dar. In Mapusa, assailants had stormed a residence, tied up family members, and escaped with cash and jewellery worth Rs 35 lakh.
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In Panjim, a similar operation saw resi dents confined while nearly 1 kg of gold and cash was loot ed. The brutality of the crimes and the precision of execu tion had pointed to an organised, mobile gang. “They were known for extreme brutality, often torturing victims and even committing murder at the slightest resist ance,” a senior officer revealed. Police believe the group operated with a calculated ‘hit run-hide’ model — illegally entering India through the Bangladesh border using human smuggling routes, target ing affluent households (often with elderly occupants) and fleeing the country soon after executing the crimes.
Their ability to evade capture for months was aided by their discipline – they avoided mobile phones, relied on local contacts for reconnaissance and used informal net works to procure weapons and logistics. The breakthrough, officials said, came through sustained inter-State coordination. According to sources in the Goa police, multiple teams had fanned out across Tripura, Mizoram and Odisha during the investigation. Four suspects were identified from past criminal activity and their movements tracked until it was found they had crossed back into Bangladesh — a detail later confirmed through an agent. Surveillance was maintained until their re-entry into In dia triggered the Delhi operation. Meanwhile, SP Crime Branch, Rahul Gupta said the Crime Branch of Goa Police was continuously investigating these cases since they were transferred to Crime Branch in Jan uary 2026 and gathered crucial clues under the direct su pervision of SP Crime.
Team also included members from Cyber cell and North district. The intelligence generated was shared with the Delhi Police team too that led to these arrests, he said. Senior officers emphasised that the arrests were the result of tightly coordinated intelligence-sharing between state agencies, underscoring the growing reliance on in ter-state policing to tackle organised crime networks that operate without borders. The accused are expected to be brought to Goa soon for further investigation. “After the incidents took place, police was in touch agen cies of various states. Now certainly the accused will be brought to Goa soon and further action will be taken,” Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.
