UP Encounter: Bishnoi spared, Hasim Baba aided, Naveen ends game

On Wednesday night, a joint team of Delhi Police Special Cell and UP STF Noida unit killed Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s sharpshooter Naveen Kasana in an encounter. Naveen had been a major threat to the police for nearly four years. Acting on orders from Lawrence and his close associate gangster Hasim Baba, he was involved in carrying out multiple violent crimes.

Acting on precise intelligence, the Special Cell along with UP STF and Kotwali police tried to surround Kasana in Preet Vihar. Upon seeing the team, Kasana opened heavy fire. One bullet hit Inspector Pankaj’s bulletproof vest and another struck Sub-Inspector Akshay Tyagi’s vest. Special Cell SI Vijendra and UP STF constable Ankur Singh were injured by Kasana’s gunfire. In the retaliatory action, Kasana was killed. Another criminal accompanying him escaped under the cover of darkness.

Police officials revealed that on December 7, 2024, Naveen had mistakenly killed utensils businessman Sunil Jain in Delhi’s Farsh Bazaar area by shooting him. On Diwali, a man and his nephew were shot dead in the area, involving a minor boy. Naveen and an associate named Sachin alias Golu had received orders to kill the minor’s father.

Three bullets pierced Naveen’s chest and arm. The Noida unit of UP STF and Delhi Special Cell handed over his body to the family on Thursday. The postmortem report confirmed that three bullets passed through his chest and arm, causing his death. Currently, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang is spreading fear across the country by extorting traders, and Naveen Kumar was part of this network.

Naveen faced 21 serious cases, including murder, attempted murder, robbery, gangster act, arms act, and MCOCA. Cases against him were registered in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurugram, and Muzaffarnagar.

Police sources claim Naveen Kasana was a trusted aide of Lawrence Bishnoi. Along with gangster Hasim Baba, who is currently imprisoned in Mandoli Jail, Naveen carried out many crimes. The police had been searching for Kasana in connection with cases including the murder of a businessman in Farsh Bazaar, Shahdara district, and under MCOCA. Special Cell officials are currently not commenting on the case. Naveen was accused in over 20 cases including murder, attempt to murder, loot, robbery, kidnapping, and MCOCA in Delhi and UP.

Information was received that Naveen was in the Hapur area. Acting on this tip-off, the Special Cell shared the information with UP STF, and a joint team was formed and sent to Hapur. On a tip-off from an informer, the team identified Naveen and asked him to surrender. He suddenly opened fire on the police. Injured in the retaliatory action, he was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Naveen had been charged under MCOCA in April 2015 in the Sadar Bazar area. He had been convicted in two cases in Delhi. After his release from jail, he continued committing crimes. The police are investigating his criminal record thoroughly, and his family has been informed.

Naveen was also wanted in UP and Haryana. He had committed several serious crimes with Lawrence’s and other gangs in Ghaziabad and Gurgaon. He was accused of a murder in Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, in 2009 and was declared a gangster from there. In 2011, he was charged with attempted murder, murder, and conspiracy in the Gurgaon sadar police station area.