Arrested 30-year-old criminal Manoj Morkheri regarded notorious gangster Om Prakash Shrivastava also known as Babloo Shrivastav, a UP-based underworld don, as his mentor.
During interrogation, he told investigator that during his jail term between 2004 and 2008, he had an opportunity to read the book Adhoora Khawab (unfinished dream) penned by Shrivastava.
Morkheri figured at number two in the list of Capital's most wanted gangsters of the Delhi Police. Police sources said that Morkheri, who carried several rewards of lakhs of rupees from Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi Police on his arrest, was planning to construct a hotel in Nepal and was extorting money from bookies, traders and businessmen.
His father was a teacher and in March 2003, when he was studying in B.Sc IInd year from a Rohtak university, he took to crime after helping a desperate criminal Ramdhan alias leela to escape from police custody.
In 2003, he escaped from Behror Jail in Alwar from the custody of Rajasthan Police.
"He read Adhoora Khawab written by Srivastava when he was in jail in 2004-08. After reading the novel, he came to know about the loopholes of police as the book could be a guide for anyone looking for the loose ends and pitfalls in the police machinery during investigation of crime, particularly kidnapping and extortion," a source said.
It has also emerged that Morkheri runs an organised gang of kidnapping and is wanted in several abductions for ransom, extortion, attempt to murder and Arms Act violations in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.
He was a close associate of notorious criminals such as leela and Rajbir Rathi gang in his early days but later formed his own group. Most of the time, his preys were college going students whom he abducted for ransom.
Police said he always preferred to work with first time criminals and none of his associate had complete information regarding his operations and his hideouts.
On Wednesday afternoon, Morkheri and his gang members, Praveen and Vivek were apprehended after a 3-kilometer chase by three teams of the Special Team of Crime Branch of the Delhi Police comprising 15 members including Inspector Bhagwati Prasad, Sub-inspector Parveen Kumar under the supervision of ACP MC Katoch and the close supervision of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Kumar Gyanesh in Outer Delhi's Alipur village. Morkheri was arrested with a loaded 9 mm pistol while an associate, Rakesh Kumar, died on the spot.
Fallen aide was a State-level wrestler
One of the associates of Manoj Morkheri who died during the encounter with police on Wednesday afternoon in Alipur area was a state level wrestler and had received several accolades in competitions. Additional Commissioner of Police (crime & railways) Ravindra Singh Yadav said that the deceased Rakesh Kumar used to practice in Chattarsal Stadium. "He won bronze medal in senior state wrestling championship in 2006 and also won a gold medal in the same championship and became a State Champion. But after some time, he fell into bad company and came in contact of some local criminals who were members of then active Kishan Pehlwan gang. He became a prominent member of Kishan Pehlwan gang and started committing crime. later, he associated himself with Morkheri to earn quick money," he added.