Gangster Himanshu Bhau, wanted in 64 cases in India, detained in Las Vegas with Neeraj Faridpuria

Haryana gangster Himanshu Bhau and his associate Neeraj Faridpuria, both wanted in India in several murder and extortion cases, have been detained by US authorities in Las Vegas, officials said. The two were held together on October 22, acting on inputs from the Haryana Police Special Task Force (STF) and with the help of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), India Today reported.

Haryana STF Inspector General Simardeep Singh confirmed to The Hindu that both men had been detained in Las Vegas. Bhau is now in ICE custody. He was first held for misrepresentation of facts after the Haryana Police flagged that he had left India with a forged surname in his passport, officials said on Saturday, October 24.

Bhau, whose real name is Himanshu Ritoliya, is from Rohtak district and has 64 criminal cases registered against him, Haryana Police sources said. He allegedly fled India in 2022 on a fake passport and travelled through Dubai and Portugal before entering the US illegally about two years ago. Police suspect he directed a network of shooters in India from abroad through encrypted messaging apps. Interpol issued a Red Notice against him in August 2023.

Faridpuria, from Haryana’s Palwal district, faces more than two dozen criminal cases in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, involving murder, extortion and organised crime, The Hindu reported.

The two had claimed responsibility for the shooting outside YouTuber Elvish Yadav’s house in Gurugram last year, in which shooters allegedly fired 25 to 30 rounds. Bhau had also claimed responsibility on social media for a 2024 killing at a Burger King outlet in Delhi’s Rajouri Garden, in which a 26-year-old man died. None of the allegations against the two has been tested in court. Bhau’s gang is a rival of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, according to police.

The STF is coordinating with the Central Bureau of Investigation, India’s nodal agency for Interpol, to speed up Bhau’s deportation, officials said. Between January 2024 and August 2026, the STF arrested 111 alleged members of his gang, The Indian Express reported.

Haryana DGP Ajay Singhal said the police were continuing to act against gangsters operating from abroad and their networks at home. Since 2019, 28 gangsters have been deported or extradited to Haryana from other countries and 15 more remain in custody abroad, according to the police. When Bhau and Faridpuria are sent back will depend on US legal and deportation procedures.