New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) Delhi Police have solved the murder of the president of traders’ association in Dadri area of Uttar Pradesh last week with the arrest of a high profile contract killer, an official said Monday.
Narender Bhatti alias Ravana was arrested late Sunday from south Delhi and an automatic US-made 9mm pistol, two live and two used cartridges, three live cartridges for .315 bore pistol and a stolen motorcycle were seized from him.

“During the last three months, the gang of Bhatti alias Ravana had unleashed a reign of terror in Gautam Budh Nagar area (Noida). In Dadri area of Uttar Pradesh, Bhatti and his gang members had opened fire on police many times,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) H.G.S. Dhaliwal said.

He said the gang’s terror was further increased when they gunned down Vinod Goel, the president of Dadri Traders’ Association, in broad daylight for raising a voice against their regular extortion demands on the business community and mounting pressure on the local police to take action against the gang.

Various teams of Delhi Police and Uttar Pradesh police were pressed into service to arrest members of this gang. A reward was also announced by the Uttar Pradesh police for Bhatti’s arrest.

Dhaliwal said the movements of the gang members were tracked for two to three days and a specific input received that Bhatti would go to Kotla area to meet one of his relatives living there. Immediately a trap was laid and two teams, with sufficient fire power, were deployed.

He said when intercepted by the police, Bhatti ran inside an alley as well as opened fire at the police squad. The police retaliated and succeeded in overpowering him, Dhaliwal added.

According to the police, Bhatti has been involved in crime since 1998, and many cases of murder, robbery, extortion and attempted murder have been registered against him. He has been arrested several times.

Dhaliwal said Bhatti usually travelled by bus and other public transport in an attempt to avoid arrest. He maintained hideouts in bordering areas of the trans-Yamuna area and kept on changing hideouts from one area of Uttar Pradesh to another, he added.