Gangsters Himanshu Bhau, Neeraj Faridpuria arrested in Las Vegas
The arrests of the two wanted in multiple criminal cases in India reportedly followed input from the Haryana STF
Gangsters Himanshu Bhau and Neeraj Faridpuria, wanted in several cases of murder and organised crime in India, were arrested in Las Vegas on Thursday (October 22). The arrests reportedly followed inputs from the Haryana Special Task Force (STF) and were carried out with help from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Haryana STF is in touch with US authorities and central agencies to get them deported to India. Haryana Police is working with the CBI to finalise modalities for the deportation of Bhau.
Bhau's identity and alleged criminal network
Bhau’s real name is Himanshu Ritoliya, but he held a passport issued under the name ‘Himanshu Sigroha’, reported NDTV. Haryana and Delhi Police had him on their most-wanted lists, and Interpol had a notice out against him. Cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion have been registered against him and his associates across Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
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A rival of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Bhau is suspected of running his network from abroad. Reports have tied him to Portugal and to gangs associated with Neeraj Bawana and Naveen Bali. Investigators also connect him and his alleged associates to several shootings and killings in Delhi and Haryana, the report stated.
Faridpuria's criminal record and move abroad
Faridpuria, a resident of Haryana’s Palwal district, was living in the US when he was arrested. Police records list more than 25 criminal cases against him. Haryana Police arrested him after an encounter in 2012, and in 2015 a court sentenced him to life imprisonment in a murder case. The Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail in 2019, reported India Today.
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His name then surfaced in the investigation into the June 2019 murder of Congress spokesperson Vikas Chaudhary in Faridabad. He allegedly left India for Canada via Dubai and was given charge of the Bambiha gang there, a rival of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. He then moved to the US and allegedly worked with Bhau’s gang.
Cases linked to Bhau's gang
Bhau was born in 2002 and is from Ritoli village in Rohtak district, Haryana. According to police, he took to crime as a teenager and escaped from a juvenile correctional facility in 2020 along with other inmates. Interpol issued a Red Notice against him in August 2023 at the request of Indian agencies.
Police have named Bhau and his alleged associates in cases of murder, attempted murder, extortion, illegal weapons and criminal conspiracy. The gang is linked to a killing at a Burger King outlet in Delhi and a shooting outside YouTuber Elvish Yadav’s residence. It has also been accused of threatening businesspersons to extract extortion money.
Three murders reported in Haryana within 24 hours in 2022 brought Bhau under police scrutiny. In a more recent case, investigators looked at alleged gang members over the killing of a property dealer in outer Delhi. Delhi Police arrested two alleged shooters after an encounter in September 2026 and detained a juvenile accomplice.
(With agency inputs)