NEW DELHI: Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday extended the police custody of advocate Deepak Khatri, a member of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s legal team, by two more days in connection with a UAPA case linked to an alleged illegal arms supply racket.Khatri was produced before the court after the expiry of his earlier five-day police custody.Delhi Police had sought a further five days of custody to investigate the case, but the court extended his custody only till Saturday.Khatri was arrested by Delhi Police at Indira Gandhi International Airport after a lookout circular had been issued against him. He had arrived in Delhi from Dubai, according to police.
What is the case against Khatri?
Police suspect Khatri of having links with an illegal arms supply network and of acting as a link between members of different criminal gangs.His arrest followed an investigation by the Delhi Police Crime Branch into a weapon trafficking racket.One of the alleged arms traffickers, Shehhbaz Ansari, had been arrested earlier, and investigators subsequently found alleged links between Khatri and the racket, according to police.Khatri’s legal team has denied the allegations.
Khatri was also targeted in Delhi firing
Khatri’s name had earlier emerged in connection with a firing incident near a Hanuman temple in Delhi’s Yamuna Bazaar area in February.According to police, Khatri and his associates were targeted after leaving the temple on February 24. Khatri survived the attack and had alleged that members of the Rohit Godara gang were behind the firing.Police later identified the alleged attackers and said they had conducted a recce of the temple before the incident.Investigators are now examining Khatri’s alleged links to the arms supply network and his suspected role in facilitating communication between gang members.
