Dreaded gangster ‘Ravan of Sahebganj’, on the run for 10 years, nabbed from Bihar

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A dreaded gangster wanted in 25 cases of murder, attempted murder, extortion, and narcotics-related cases, known by his moniker ‘Ravan of Sahebganj’, was arrested from Paru town in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur earlier this month by Delhi Police.

Ram Naresh Sahani was given the moniker after he set up his base in Muzaffarpur’s Sahebganj village nearly two decades ago and terrorised its residents. He still has an active gang of nearly 50 in the area, police sources said, adding that he exerts tremendous influence over the illicit liquor business in northern Bihar. The Delhi police booked him in a murder case in 2005 and declared him a proclaimed offender in connection with a narcotics-related case in 2014.

Sahani was accused, along with two other persons, of murdering a man named Kumod in Surat. Police sources said Sahani ran an illicit liquor business in Gujarat for nearly four years, during which he had a dispute with Kumod, who was in the same trade.

After gunning down his competitor, Sahani evaded arrest till March 2012, when Delhi Police’s Crime Branch nabbed him for running a narcotics network in the national capital.

In July 2013, during the trial, Sahani got an interim bail for his daughter’s marriage. However, he jumped the bail. A year later, he was declared a proclaimed offender.

Cat-and-mouse game

A senior officer said they received a tip-off about Sahani’s whereabouts on January 5. “Upon reaching Bihar, we camped in Muzaffarpur for four days to apprehend him,” the officer said.

“We looked for him from morning to night. We had to develop a network of informers because nobody wanted to speak up against him. What made catching him more difficult was that Sahani would change his address, mobile number, and appearance to evade arrest. He would grow a beard and then remove it. His facial features kept changing,” the officer added.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sanjay Bhatia said, “Due to the terror of his gang, nobody ever shared information regarding his whereabouts with the police. Whenever the police tried mounting pressure on him, he would flee to Nepal and return to Bihar only after sensing that the pressure had eased.”

Mr. Bhatia said, “On January 8, the police received a tip-off that Sahani would come to the registry office in Muzaffarpur. Police teams raided the location and arrested him from the outskirts of Paru town in Muzaffarpur.”

Mr. Bhatia said Sahani has been booked in a total of 25 criminal cases, of which 23 are registered in Bihar, one each in Delhi and Surat.