Fugitive gangster Himanshu Bhau, one of north India's most wanted men, has been detained in the United States and is in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Mirror Now and the Daily Jagran reported on Saturday, October 24.

Source: Mirror Now

Bhau, whose full name is reported as Himanshu Ritoliya and who is from Ritoli village in Haryana's Rohtak district, was apprehended in the Las Vegas area of Nevada following inputs from Indian agencies, including the Haryana Police Special Task Force (STF), the reports said. His associate Neeraj Faridpuria, also known as Neeraj Kaushik, was detained alongside him, and both men are reported to be held at the Henderson Detention Center in Nevada.

Source: Daily Jagran

Wanted since 2022, under an Interpol Red Notice

According to the reports, an Interpol Red Notice was issued against Bhau in August 2023 at the request of Indian agencies, and he has been on the wanted lists of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Delhi and Haryana police. He faces multiple cases in Delhi, Haryana and neighbouring states in which he is accused of shootings, killings and multi-crore extortion — all allegations that remain to be tried in court.

Investigators allege that Bhau ran his syndicate from abroad after fleeing India in 2022, directing local shooters through encrypted messaging platforms; his network has been linked in police statements and media reports to attacks including a fatal shooting at a fast-food outlet in west Delhi's Rajouri Garden and firing incidents at car showrooms in Naraina and Tilak Nagar. He is described in the reports as a rival of the jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's group.

Indian agencies are now coordinating with their US counterparts on his return, with deportation and formal extradition both reported to be under consideration; the route taken will depend on US immigration proceedings and the legal grounds of his detention. No date for a transfer has been officially announced.