DEHRADUN: Under the ongoing ‘Operation Prahar’ to track absconding criminals, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a dreaded interstate shooter wanted in connection with the high-profile murder of a local political leader.
Rinku Sharma, alias Pandit, who carried a bounty of Rs 25,000, was arrested in the Rudrapur region early Wednesday morning, ending a six-year manhunt. He had been on the run since the daylight killing of BJP-backed municipal councillor Prakash Singh Dhami in 2020.
The incident took place on October 12, 2020, in Bhadaipura, Rudrapur. According to police, the councillor was lured out of his home around 9 am by an assailant. As he stepped outside, other gang members arriving in an i-10 car opened fire, hitting him in the head, throat and chest.
The attack, captured on CCTV, triggered widespread outrage and underscored the intensity of political and turf rivalry behind the crime.
Investigations revealed the murder was a contract killing aimed at establishing regional dominance. Professional shooters from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were allegedly hired for about Rs 4 lakh. While six of the seven accused named in the case were earlier arrested under the Gangster Act, Sharma had remained at large, frequently changing locations to evade arrest.
Senior Superintendent of Police (STF) Ajay Singh said the accused had managed to evade law enforcement agencies for years by constantly shifting hideouts.
"The murder of Councilor Prakash Dhami was one of the most heinous crimes in recent memory. This accused had been evading the law for years by frequently altering his hideouts," SSP Singh said.
"For the past month, our teams had been tracking his movements through a combination of technical surveillance, human intelligence, and physical evidence analysis. Acting on reliable information on Wednesday morning, our joint team with the Rudrapur Kotwali police cordoned off the area and successfully apprehended the target," he added.
According to the STF, Sharma is a hardened criminal with over a dozen cases registered against him across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, including charges of murder, attempted murder, extortion and dacoity.
"Under the direction of Police Headquarters and the 'Operation Prahar' initiative, the STF remains committed to tracking down those who have evaded justice for years," Singh said.