The Gautam Budh Nagar police arrested a criminal carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on Monday night. Vinod Bawla, an active criminal and gang leader, and his accomplice Sudhir Malik were arrested during a special vehicle checking drive in Greater Noida. Vinod was wanted in 38 cases of crime, including loot, murder, kidnapping and extortion, by police in Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Seemapuri in New Delhi and Roorkee.
The Greater Noida police was tipped off about the arrival of a wanted criminal from Muzaffarnagar area. The informant had said the suspect would come to town to commit a major crime. Several teams of police were formed and deployed at all entry points. At around 11 pm, a Scorpio SUV appeared near Ghanghola checkpost in Greater Noida police station. When police tried to stop the SUV, the driver made an attempt to escape but crashed into the police barriers. The police immediately chased the vehicle and arrested both Vinod and Sudhir. Police also recovered to pistols from their possession.
During sustained interrogation it was unearthed that Vinod Bawla, a resident of Bulandshahr, was the leader of a gang listed by UP Police. He was involved in 38 cases of crime across the region since 1986 and UP Police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head in 2010. Sudhir Malik, a resident of Bareily district, was also an active member of the same gang and was accused in several cases along with Vinod.
Vinod was wanted in a gruesome daylight murder when he killed two businessmen and snatched their revolvers in a crowded area of Muzaffarnagar. In 2010, a case under Explosives Act was filed against Bawla and his two associates in Muzaffarnagar owning to their alleged involvement in an explosion killing Surendra Mota, a local leader, over political enmity.
"We are interrogating the criminals as they are wanted in many cases of crime in the region. We are trying to ascertain the reason of their coming to Greater Noida. We are also trying to get details of other gang members to bust the entire gang," said Brajesh Kumar Singh, superintendent of Police (Rural), Greater Noida.