Las Vegas detention: U.S. authorities hold two Haryana gangsters wanted in dozens of cases
Two men described by the Haryana Police as gangsters — Himanshu Bhau and Neeraj Faridpuria — have been detained by United States authorities in Las Vegas, following a tip-off from the Haryana Special Task Force (STF). Both are wanted in India in connection with murder, extortion and a series of high-profile shootings.
Inspector General Simardeep Singh of the Haryana STF confirmed the detention to The Hindu. Details of the legal proceedings against the two men in the United States, including whether India will seek their custody, were not immediately available. A detention is not a finding of guilt; the cases registered against them in India have yet to be tried.
According to STF sources, Himanshu, a resident of Ritoli village in Rohtak district, was first booked in an attempted murder and extortion case at the age of 17. In 2020, he escaped from a juvenile correctional facility in Hisar and subsequently set up his own gang, the sources said.
The police allege that he left India in 2022 on a fake passport, travelling through Dubai and Portugal before entering the United States illegally about two years ago. Investigators suspect that from abroad he directed a network of shooters in India through encrypted messaging applications, ordering extortion demands and targeted attacks.
Haryana Police sources said 64 criminal cases are registered against Himanshu. Neeraj Faridpuria, a native of Palwal district, faces more than two dozen cases registered in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, involving allegations of murder, extortion and organised crime.
The two men had also claimed responsibility for the firing outside the Gurugram residence of YouTuber Elvish Yadav last year. According to the police, shooters fired 25 to 30 rounds outside the house, in an incident linked to extortion and the promotion of betting. No injuries were reported in that shooting.
The detention in Las Vegas points to the growing challenge of pursuing suspects who, the police say, operate criminal networks in India from bases overseas. Officers have repeatedly said that such groups rely on encrypted communication apps to issue instructions while keeping a physical distance from the crimes, which complicates investigation and arrest. Cooperation between State police units and foreign law enforcement agencies has therefore become central to these cases, though formal extradition remains a lengthy legal process involving courts in both countries.
The Haryana STF was set up to tackle organised crime in the State and has in recent years focused on tracking suspects who have left the country. Officials have not indicated a timeline for the next stage of the case.
Under Indian law, all accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court. The charges against the two men remain allegations that must be established through due process.
