Mad Sandhu murder accused arrested in Mumbai, was also hunting a Bollywood actor

PTC Web Desk:  The Delhi Police have arrested two shooters linked to gangsters Anil Pandit and Randeep Malik, stopping a planned extortion shooting in Delhi and an alleged attack on a Bollywood actor in Mumbai. The Special Cell shared the details on Saturday.

One of the two men was wanted for the murder of Amritsar-based influencer Mad Sandhu. The other had been sent to Mumbai to target an actor over his alleged remarks on the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, the police said.

How the arrests happened

The first accused, Vikas Thakur alias Vicky (25), was picked up in Delhi. The police say he was getting ready to fire at a local businessman on the orders of a gangster based abroad.

His arrest led the Special Cell to his aide, Deep alias Deepak Singh, who was found hiding in Mumbai after the Mad Sandhu killing. The police say Deep had also been given the task of shooting at a Bollywood actor over his alleged anti-Sikh comments about 1984. The gangster allegedly told him to stay low in Mumbai until the attack could be carried out.

According to the police, Vikas had travelled from Mumbai to Delhi for the extortion shooting and Deep was to join him later. Both were stopped before they could act. A case under Section 25 of the Arms Act was registered at the Special Cell police station on November 3.

Who is Vikas Thakur?

Vikas is from Jalandhar, Punjab, and was born in 2001 into a low-income family. The police say he did well in school in the early years but fell into bad company because of a lack of supervision at home. He first came to police notice in 2019, as a juvenile, in a snatching case.

In 2023, he allegedly began supplying illegal weapons to gangster Anmol Bishnoi. After Bishnoi’s arrest, he reportedly shifted to the Anil Pandit and Randeep Malik gangs, recruiting members, arranging firearms and scouting extortion targets for them. Later, he began working on his own, offering his services to different gangs for money.

The police say he came in touch with the foreign-based gangster, who first gave him the Mumbai actor assignment. He then took up the Delhi businessman job and introduced Deep to the gangster.

Deep and the Mad Sandhu murder

Deep is from Tarn Taran district in Punjab and had earlier worked as a truck helper and driver. A local gang member introduced him to the foreign-based gangster and he slowly got drawn into organised crime.

On October 3, Deep allegedly shot Instagram influencer Mad Sandhu in Amritsar along with an aide, Palwinder alias Kaka. Sandhu died in the attack. Palwinder was arrested by the Punjab Police while Deep allegedly ran off and hid in Mumbai to avoid arrest.

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