Patna: Two members of the Mahakal gang have been arrested in Patna’s Bihta area, with police seizing rifles, 340 live cartridges, Rs 5,07,400 in cash and mobile phones in a raid targeting the group’s growing influence.
Patna police announced the arrests of Hareram Singh and Vineet Kumar in Ghoda Top village following an intelligence tip-off about illegal arms trading. A joint team from Bihta and IIT police stations, along with the District Intelligence Unit, carried out the raid on Monday, recovering firearms including two rifles, a revolver and a large quantity of ammunition.
Investigations revealed that the gang had been extorting money from sand ghats and markets by leveraging fear and intimidation. The men also posted videos on social media flaunting their weapons in an attempt to build notoriety. Police confirmed that another gang member, Abhishek Kumar, remains at large.
Authorities stressed that the crackdown comes at a sensitive time, with security forces maintaining heightened surveillance of social media activity in the run-up to elections. The gang, active for years in western Patna, has been linked to murder, extortion and arms supply networks.
Its leader, Abhishek Singh, is known locally as both a regional singer and a gangster, using social media to project power. His gang allegedly supplied weapons to rival groups operating around Bihta and Maner, where sand mining operations provided fertile ground for extortion rackets.
Police said efforts to dismantle the gang will continue, with special focus on online platforms used to spread fear and glamourise violence.
