Delhi's Most Wanted Gangster Caught In Dawn Chase, He Shot At Cops

New Delhi: One of Delhi's most wanted, gangster Sonu Dariyapur, has been arrested after a nearly 10-year hunt. Sonu Dariyapur is charged in more than 10 cases of murder, extortion and kidnapping and is accused of killing a police officer and a rival gangster in a brazen shooting earlier this year.

He was arrested after a brief shootout in the early hours of Thursday near the outskirts of Delhi, the police said. He had allegedly driven to Narela in a Hyundai i-20 car to meet a friend when he was caught.

On a tip-off that he was visiting the area, the police blocked all exit routes. Sonu allegedly stepped out of his car and fired at the police. He shot at one policeman, who was saved by his bulletproof vest. Two weapons were found on him after his arrest.

A dreaded name in the capital after half a dozen killings and multiple extortion calls to businessmen, Sonu carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh, the highest for any criminal in Delhi.

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In a shootout on April 30, gangster Monu Dariyapur, two policemen guarding him and two others were attacked allegedly by Sonu and his associates. Monu and two others were killed.

The police say Monu and Sonu had been friends since they were children and had worked together in a gang but the two fell out when Monu married Sonu's cousin.

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In 2006, Sonu had fired at a car in which Monu and his wife were travelling. They were wounded but their driver was killed. Monu was provided Delhi police security after the incident. Sonu was arrested, but three years later, he jumped parole.

While on the run, he allegedly killed Monu's older brother.

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Over the years, Sonu Dariyapur travelled to Nepal, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh while hiding from the police. He usually didn't travel with his mobile phone to avoid detection. According to the police, he kept in touch with his gang through Facebook messenger and WhatsApp calls.

On Thursday morning, he had driven down from his latest hideout in Himachal Pradesh when the police finally caught up with him.

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Police teams were waiting for him, armed with sub-machine guns, pistols and bulletproof vests.