UP's wanted criminal held near Mumbai by Ahmedabad crime branch; cops worked as watchmen for days to nab him

The Ahmedabad crime branch in Gujarat has nabbed Manish Singh, a notorious criminal and member of Uttar Pradesh's dreaded Subhash Singh Thakur gang, who had been on the run for the last 12 years. Members of the Ahmedabad crime branch team stayed at Vasai in Mumbai's neighbouring Palghar district for nearly one month and kept a close watch on his movements. The police personnel even worked as watchmen and cleaners in a residential society in three shifts.

Ahmedabad (Gujarat):The Ahmedabad crime branch in Gujarat has nabbed Manish Singh, a notorious criminal and member of Uttar Pradesh's dreaded Subhash Singh Thakur gang, who had been on the run for the last 12 years, officials said on Wednesday. Based on a specific tip-off about Singh's present location, members of the Ahmedabad crime branch team stayed at Vasai in Mumbai's neighbouring Palghar district for nearly one month and kept a close watch on his movements. The police personnel even worked as watchmen and cleaners in a residential society in three shifts, a release by the crime branch said.

Singh, 37, was finally nabbed on Tuesday and brought to Ahmedabad on Wednesday, it said. Singh is the "most wanted" criminal in Uttar Pradesh carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head. A native of Varanasi in UP, he was on the run and evading arrest ever since he escaped from the custody of the UP police in 2009, it added.

He was wanted in nearly 20 cases registered against him in different states, including 15 in UP and three in Gujarat. He was booked for serious offences, such as murder, attempt to murder and under the Arms Act for providing firearms to other criminals. In 2014, three FIRs related to murder, criminal conspiracy and under the Arms Act were registered against Singh in Gujarat.

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The most sensational case was related to the murder of two persons inside the office of a petrol pump at Botad town of Gujarat. Bharatsinh Vala and Ranchhod Patel were shot dead by three persons over some old enmity. Police were looking for Singh after investigation revealed that he had provided revolvers and pistols to the three accused, who were arrested by the police at that time.

Singh had entered the criminal world in 2007 by firing 10 to 12 rounds on a person in Varanasi to establish his dominance. He came under UP police's lens after the murder of businessman R K Singh. It was alleged that Manish Singh took the contract to kill Singh from his business rivals, said the release.

After his escape in 2009, Singh came to Mumbai and allegedly threatened a bar owner for extortion. When the bar owner Krishna Shetty denied, Singh and other henchmen of Subhash Singh Thakur gang fired on Shetty. Singh was wanted in that case too, the release said.

PTI