In a late-night operation on Thursday, Jabalpur police succeeded in apprehending four absconding members of Abdul Razzaq Gang, including his son, at a resort at Pench Tiger Reserve in Seoni district. The accused were gathered at the resort to attend a relative’s wedding. The arrested have been identified as Razzaq’s Son Sarfraz, brother Mohammed Mehmood, nephew Azhar and an associate Sajjad. All four are wanted in serious criminal cases and carried a reward of Rs 50,000 each, as declared by Jabalpur Police. Police have also seized two luxury cars, a loaded pistol with 10 cartridges and cash of Rs 50,000 from the accused.

 

It may be noted that gang leader Razzaq is currently imprisoned in Jabalpur Central Jail. The wedding was organized by his relatives, who are opticians in the Omti area of Jabalpur. The wedding celebrations were taking place at Olive Resort, located in Turia near the Pench region of Seoni district. Acting on a tip-off, a Jabalpur Police team headed to Seoni and with assistance from local police, conducted an intensive search operation from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Each room at the resort was thoroughly checked, eventually leading to the arrest of the four absconding criminals. The accused were seen arriving at the resort in two high-end luxury cars. During the search, police recovered a pistol loaded with 10 rounds and Rs 50,000 in cash.

 

A fresh FIR has been registered against them under the Arms Act at the Kurai police station in Seoni. Sarfaraz is wanted in three cases at Jabalpur’s Omti police station while Mehmood and Azhar each have two cases and Sajjad is accused in one case. Besides this, Mehmood is also named in a criminal case registered at Sleemanabad police station in Katni district. Abdul Razzaq and his gang have long been under the radar of Jabalpur Police. In 2021, a violent altercation broke out at a garage in Vijay Nagar over a car repair dispute. Razzaq’s nephew Shahbaz and his associates vandalized the garage and attacked a man with lethal intent. Shahbaz was later arrested and weapons were recovered from his residence, while the rest of the gang went into hiding. During the investigation of that incident, police uncovered several other criminal activities linked to the Razzaq gang. Authorities are now interrogating the recently arrested suspects to gather information about the gang’s broader criminal network, weapon supplies and illegal operations.