Lucknow

Gangster Sundar Bhati, serving a life sentence for the murder of Samajwadi Party leader Harendra Nagar and his gunner, has been granted bail by the Allahabad High Court. Following his release from Sonbhadra jail, Bhati reportedly took a flight from Varanasi to Delhi and is believed to be hiding in Haryana. A Special Task Force (STF) from western Uttar Pradesh is closely tracking his movements.

Bhati, a prominent figure in western Uttar Pradesh’s criminal underworld, hails from Ghanghola village in Gautam Buddh Nagar and faces over 60 charges, including murder and extortion. While in detention, he allegedly connected with Sunny, one of the gunmen implicated in the April 2023 murders of gangsters Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf. Reports indicate that Bhati recruited Sunny into his criminal network.

After Sunny’s release from jail, he maintained ties with Bhati’s associates and reportedly acquired a Zigana pistol, a Turkish firearm, through this network. Bhati’s influence appears to have grown since the killing of his rival, Anil Dujana, in May 2023, following which he sought to expand his control over the scrap business in the region.

In 2015, Bhati was convicted, along with 11 accomplices, for the murders of Nagar and his gunner, during a wedding in Greater Noida.