Gorakhpur. The Special Task Force’s inquiry into an alleged weapons‑trafficking ring tied to Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara has broadened to include local operatives in Gorakhpur. So far, 31 individuals have been formally listed as accused. Among them are a confidant of a regional politician and the son of a police sub‑inspector. Investigators are currently analysing the seized mobile devices, social‑media footprints and contact lists of those taken into custody.
Authorities are now vetting the local contacts that surfaced during the probe. Police aim to determine the substance of the conversations these persons held with the primary suspects and whether they played any part in the purported arms network. In a related move, Gorakhpur police briefly detained the brother of a student leader for questioning, but he was released shortly thereafter.
One of the named accused is reported to be an associate of a Sahjanwa‑area politician, while another’s father serves as a sub‑inspector in the Uttar Pradesh police force. Following the filing of the case at Cantt Police Station, raids have been launched to locate the remaining fugitives, with investigators also scrutinising phone numbers and online activity extracted from the arrested men’s devices.
The STF is now focused on pinpointing local actors who may have facilitated the movement of firearms into Gorakhpur and the wider Purvanchal region from other states. Phone numbers and social‑media contacts recovered from the suspects’ handsets are being cross‑referenced against known networks.
Five Accused Apprehended on Monday Night
On Monday evening, STF operatives seized Shreyansh Yadav (alias Bablu), Ajit Yadav, Abhishek Gaud (alias Bheli), Abhishek Prajapati (alias Abhi) and Rahul Gupta near Vindhyavasini Park. During subsequent interrogations, 26 additional names were disclosed, bringing the total roster of alleged conspirators to 31. Five have been detained, while the other 26 remain at large.
More than ten investigative teams are conducting simultaneous raids across Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, as well as in Gorakhpur, Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts, to round up the remaining suspects. Shashank Pandey, a resident of Bihar, is regarded as a pivotal link in the case.
The probe has also surfaced the identities of Suraj Yadav, a PAC employee from Bansgaon, and his associate Pramod Yadav. According to STF officials, the duo allegedly bought weapons from the same supply chain as part of a plot to eliminate a young man. Police are now tracking down the missing firearms and tracing the contacts tied to the transaction. Both men are believed to have gone underground after learning of the police operation.
Investigators have travelled to Shashank Pandey’s ancestral village in an effort to locate him. His connections forged during his stint in Gorakhpur are under close scrutiny, especially after earlier inquiries hinted at his involvement with an arms network allegedly linked to the Bishnoi faction.
