Haryana gangster Himanshu Bhau, one of India’s most-wanted fugitives, has been detained in the United States by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after a four-year manhunt. Bhau was tracked to Las Vegas and arrested on Thursday, 22nd October. Indian agencies are in touch with their American counterparts to bring him back to India, where he faces multiple cases involving murder, attempted murder, extortion and other serious crimes.
According to media reports, Bhau was apprehended in the Las Vegas, Nevada, region following inputs from Indian agencies. His return to India is expected to depend on the legal process and coordination between the two countries. Bhau has been wanted by the Delhi Police, Haryana Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Interpol issued a Red Notice against him in August 2023 at the request of Indian authorities.
Himanshu Bhau, one of north India’s most wanted gangsters, is learnt to have been detained in the #US, after a four-year-long manhunt. Subject of a red notice from the #Interpol, Bhau, a rival of Lawrence Bishnoi group, is wanted for multiple cases off shootings, killings and multi-crore extortions in #Delhi and #Haryana. More details 🔗 https://t.co/jRgF4aQIzj Catch every update on the TOI App 👉 https://t.co/ogFaRsVinV
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) October 24, 2026
Bhau, whose real name is Himanshu Ritoliya, is accused of running a criminal network across Delhi-NCR, Haryana and Punjab while operating from abroad. He is also known for his rivalry with the Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar network.
Who is Himanshu Bhau?
Bhau belongs to Ritoli village in Haryana’s Rohtak district. His criminal career began while he was still a teenager in school, and he has built a major network involved in organised crime. According to an investigator, he became involved in criminal activities while he was still in school.
“He belongs to Ritoli in the Rohtak district of Haryana and had got involved in crimes while still in school. He first entered police records in 2020 following a botched killing attempt involving a localised dispute in his native village,” the investigator said.
Bhau was a minor when police first apprehended him. He was sent to a juvenile observation home in Hisar, but his stay there did not last long. He escaped from the facility along with other inmates in 2020 and later became involved in more serious crimes.
Over time, investigators linked him to criminal networks associated with the Neeraj Bawana and Naveen Bali gangs. His crimes expanded across Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhunjhunu and the National Capital Region, with associates carrying out attacks and extortion activities on his instructions.
Bhau faces around 20 criminal cases registered across Delhi and Haryana, with charges ranging from murder, attempted murder, and extortion to criminal intimidation, illegal arms usage, and forgery. His network terrorised local businesses, executing multi-million rupee extortion schemes against builders, traders, and real estate developers across Delhi-NCR.
Among his most notorious crimes was the public execution of a rival named Aman Joon inside a Burger King outlet in West Delhi’s Rajouri Garden in June 2024. His syndicate also carried out the revenge killing of a rival’s uncle in June 2025 stemming from a 2022 feud.
He also claimed responsibility for an August 2025 firing incident outside YouTuber Elvish Yadav’s residence in Gurugram. Furthermore, his operatives sprayed dozens of rounds of bullets at luxury car showrooms in Naraina and Tilak Nagar, and dispatched bike-borne men to fire at a businessman’s house and vehicle in Rohini after a ₹3 crore extortion demand went unpaid. Other violent actions include a targeted attack on a property dealer in outer Delhi that led to police encounters and arrests.
Three murders in 24 days put him on the police radar
Bhau came under greater scrutiny in March 2022, when he was involved in three killings within a short period in Haryana. Investigators have revealed that he used armed associates to carry out targeted attacks while remaining away from the country.
An investigator said, “In 2022, he executed three killings in a span of 24 days in March. The same year, using a passport obtained through fraudulent documents, Bhau slipped across international borders, initially fleeing to Dubai before moving on to European safe havens like Portugal, from where he continued to remotely direct his syndicate.”
His escape abroad made it harder for Indian agencies to apprehend him. Investigators believe he continued to coordinate with associates in India through encrypted messaging applications, directing shootings, issuing threats and running extortion operations from overseas.
He is also suspected to have entered the United States through the illegal migration channel, “Dunkey Route” in late 2024 or early 2025.
