Ex-MLA Shokeen sent to judicial custody

A court here on Tuesday sent, to judicial custody, former Delhi legislator Rambeer Shokeen who was arrested under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for allegedly running an organised crime syndicate.

Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Pandit remanded Shokeen to judicial custody till December 15 after Delhi Police informed it that accused is not required for further custodial interrogration.A

Shokeen, who was declared proclaimed offender, was arrested on Sunday evening from outer Delhi.

The other accused in the case are jailed gangster Neeraj Bawana, Pankaj Sehrawat, Sunil Rathi, Rahul Dabas, Naveen Dabas alias Bali, Naveen Hooda alias Bhanja, Amit Malik alias Bhura and Gurpreet Singh and Deepak Dabas alias Deepa -- who were chargesheeted under stringent charges of MCOCA in October 2015.

Bawana was arrested on April 7 last year from west Delhi's Mundka area and is in judicial custody with eight other accused.

Police said in its chargesheet that all the accused were running an crime syndicate which has been committing extortion and murders apart from land grabbing and settling property disputes all aimed at pecuniary benefits.

Police has described Bawana as "a symbol of lawlessness" and "kingpin" of the racket while Shokeen as the "political face" of the syndicate.

Shokeen was found using the clout of these criminals to contest MLA election to "further his political ambitions and gaining pecuniary benefits", police alleged.

--IANS

akk/vd