Earlier this year, a wedding of two notorious criminals became the talk of the town in Sonipat, Haryana, while the police got busy tightening security for what was nothing short of a VIP wedding. It was the nuptial rites of Sandeep Kala, aka Kala Jatheri, and history sheeter Anuradha Choudhary, better known as 'Madam Minz'.
Out on a six-hour parole, Kala arrived at the venue from Tihar Jail donning a white kurta-pyjama and a purple waistcoat. The bride, also out on bail, reached there in a Scorpio wearing a red saree. Armed security surrounded the couple as they went on stage, while police personnel were frisking relatives and checking IDs at the entrance.
Who is Kala Jatheri?
Kala Jatheri is a close confidant of Lawrence Bishnoi, one of India's most notorious crime syndicate bosses who made headlines amid the recent India-Canada diplomatic row. Jatheri's influence is visible in several areas across Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
Born in Jatheri village in Sonipat, after his Class 12 exams, he worked as a cable operator for a few years. According to reports, he committed his first murder in June 2009 during a robbery in Rohtak and then another in Sonipat’s Gohana in March 2010 over an old enmity with the victim.
On February 1, 2020, Kala escaped the Haryana Police’s custody in Faridabad following a gunfight. But his name hit the spotlight the next year during the GTB Hospital shoot-out case in which he facilitated the escape of gangster Kuldeep Maan alias Fajja.
Jatheri and the others had come in a Scorpio SUV that had a police sticker. They opened fire in the air, threw chilli powder at the cops and fled in different directions, leaving their car. However, Fajja was later killed in a police encounter. Ravi Mallick, one of the associates trying to free Fajja, was also killed in police retaliation.
Sagar Dhankar murder case
Kala Jatheri gained further media attention in the Sagar Dhankar murder case involving two-time Olympic medal winner Sushil Kumar. Dhankar, a junior national wrestling champion, and one of his close friends Sonu Mahal were badly beaten up by Sushil Kumar during a brawl at the Chhatrasal Stadium. Kumar and his close aides had kidnapped them over a property dispute. A video clip of the incident had gone viral on social media platforms.
Dhankar who sustained serious head injuries succumbed to them while in hospital. Meanwhile, Sonu Mahal, reportedly Kala Jatheri’s nephew, survived. According to Sushil Kumar’s confession to the police after his arrest, he was allegedly trying to save himself from Jatheri who had threatened him with dire consequences.
Jatheri is also closely assisted by Kala Rana, another gangster from the Bishnoi gang and one of the key planners behind Fajja's escape from GTB Hospital. He carries a Rs 7 lakh reward on his head.
He is wanted in at least 15 cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion in Delhi. He controls much of the Bishnoi gang’s operations in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Uttarakhand with the help of his henchmen and sharpshooters.
Jatheri’s wife Anuradha Choudhary is also wanted by the Delhi Police and has a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on her head.
Kala Rana
Hailing from Haryana’s Karnal, Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang member Virender Pratap, also known as Kala Rana, has 28 cases registered against him and is a wanted criminal in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan and Chandigarh.
Raised in Aungad village in Karnal, Rana’s family was engaged in farming before moving to Yamunanagar due to a violent feud. Rana’s name came up in a chargesheet for the first time in 2014 when he stole a car. He has been declared absconding in three cases, while seven cases are under trial in different courts. In his home state alone, Rana has four cases registered against him in Ambala, 19 in Yamunanagar, four in Kurukshetra and one in Fatehabad under sections like extortion, murder, snatching, robbery, assault, obstruction in government duty and fraud.
Rana, who had fled to Thailand using a forged passport, was extradited to India in March 2022. Rana was named as a one of the co-accused in the Ambala Cantonment shootout that left two dead on January 20, 2022.
In April 2023, a video of Rana from his time in Delhi’s Tihar jail was released showing him apologising and cursing himself for his crimes.
