On Tuesday (December 5) Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena leader Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi was shot dead by unknown assailants in Rajasthan’s Jaipur. After the killing, the Rajput community called a ‘Bandh’ in the state. It has now been reported that gangster Sampat Nehra who is currently lodged in Bathinda Jail masterminded the murder plot. Sampat Nehra is said to be an ally of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Reportedly, around ten months ago, Rajasthan Police had received information regarding conspiracy to kill Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi.
Once a national-level decathlon athlete, Sampat Nehra turned to the criminal world and became a dreaded gangster. During his college days, Nehra met Lawrence Bishnoi and the duo soon became good friends. It is said that after becoming a gangster, Bishnoi blindly trusted Nehra. He is seen as Lawrence Bishnoi’s top henchman. Sampat Nehra has been involved in numerous gang wars, weapon supply, and carrying out Hawala transactions.
Much like Lawrence Bishnoi, Nehra also controls a crime ring from behind bars. Sampat Nehra was tasked with finding fresh recruits for the Lawrence Bishroi gang and providing them with firearms. In a certain sense, Sampat Nehra is the ‘ manager’ of the Bishnoi gang. When he was released from prison he would commit crimes. Subsequently, he changed his name and fled to South India. He was apprehended for plotting to murder actor Salman Khan, whom Lawrence Bishnoi had earlier threatened multiple times.
Sampat Nehra is from Raigarh, Rajasthan, and his father, Ramchander, was an ASI in the Chandigarh Police. His youth was spent in Punjab. At Punjab University, he met Lawrence Bishnoi. In DAV College, he was Bishnoi’s junior. He won silver in the Decathlon Hurdle Race at the national level. Lawrence Bishnoi had founded a group in college called the Student Organisation of Punjab University (SOPU) which was headed by Sampat Nehra. He was arrested for the first time in 2016 for car robbery.
Notably, many extortion-related cases have been filed against Sampat Nehra. There are 25 cases registered against him, of which 12 are murder cases. He has a reward of Rs 2 lakh on him. Moreover, Nehra’s criminal activities were primarily centred in three states: Punjab, Rajasthan, and Haryana. Sampat Nehra also reconnoitred Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai. It is said that Nehra had tasked Lawrence Bishnoi with assassinating Salman Khan. He also gave Rs 4 lakh to buy the rifle which would be used to kill the actor.
Nehra was staying in Telangana under a false identity while conspiring to kill Salman Khan, however, before he could execute his plan, Haryana Police arrested him. Lawrence Bishnoi had threatened a bookie saying “I will chew you raw,” and his name had also surfaced in connection with the murder of Punjabi rapper/singer Sidhu Moosewala. In these cases, Delhi Police apprehended and questioned Sampat Nehra. It is said that some other Punjabi singers are also on the target of the Bishnoi gang. Sampat Nehra was previously imprisoned at Delhi’s Mandoli jail, where he said there was a threat to his life, before being transferred to Tihar.
Several other criminals belonging to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang are also imprisoned at Bathinda. In addition to the twelve murders, Nehra also has six cases of culpable homicide and five cases of dacoity registered against him. Moreover, three extortion cases have been filed against him. Sampat Nehra, arrested from Cyberabad, is also wanted in the murder of history-sheeter Ajay Jaitpura in Sadulpura court premises of Rajasthan on January 17, 2018. It took several days and painstaking efforts for the Haryana Police to arrest Nehra.
Haryana Police had to camp in Telangana for 15 days to arrest Nehra. The operation lasted three days. Nehra had taken a flat in Hyderabad with two MBA graduates. He has also admitted that he was involved with eight attempted murders. He was expanding his network in Gurugram by establishing a base in Manesar. He had banded up with Anil Chippi and the Kala Jatheri gang. He had plotted to depose the Kushal and Amit Dagar gang, who wielded power in Gurugram.
Sampat Nehra had pleaded in court five years ago requesting a bulletproof jacket for himself. He has stated that rival gangs may assassinate him. The court had directed the police to ensure security measures for him. When wrestler Suhail Kumar was imprisoned in Mandoli in a murder case, Sampat Nehra had claimed that his life was in danger. He was relocated at that point. Now he’s back in the news for the assassination of Karni Sena President Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi.
The police have detained Rohit Rathod, a resident of Jhotwara, Jaipur, in this case. He is originally from Makrana, Nagaur. Nitin Fauji, of Mahendragarh, Haryana, was also arrested. Protests are also going on in Barmer, Churu, and Rajsamand, with marketplaces being closed. As reported earlier, after breaking into Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi’s house in Shyam Nagar, Janpath and conversing with him, the assailants abruptly fired 17 shots in 20 seconds, inflicting fatal wounds on the Rajput leader. Sukhdev Singh was rushed to Metro Mass Hospital in Jaipur following the incident. However, he was declared dead by doctors at the hospital. Along with Sukhdev Singh, one of his associates has also received critical gunshot wounds.