PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Haridwar
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has arrested one more accused, Vijay Kumar, who allegedly helped the Valmiki gang. He was sent to jail by the court on Saturday. The accused had reportedly given fake testimony by using a forged Aadhaar card in a fake power of attorney. So far, seven accused have been arrested and sent to jail in the case.
Following this, for the first time in the case, two members of the Valmiki gang—Manish Ballar and Pankaj Ashtwal, residents of Sunehra village which falls under Gangnahar police station in Haridwar—were arrested earlier during a raid in the Gangnahar area.
According to the STF, based on secret information and a complaint, the STF registered a case on August 27, 2025, at Gangnahar Police Station against gangster Praveen Valmiki, his nephew Manish Ballar, Pankaj Ashtwal, and others for cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. Due to the seriousness of the case, the investigation was handed over to the STF.
The case is linked to a property dispute in village Sunehra, Roorkee. Shyam Bihari, who owned property worth crores, died in 2014. Later, his brother Krishan Gopal was shot dead in 2018, allegedly by the Valmiki gang to grab the property. After this, the gang threatened Shyam Bihari’s wife Rekha and later attacked her brother in 2019. Due to fear, the family left the area and went into hiding.
Police said the gang then prepared fake power of attorney documents using forged identities and sold the valuable land illegally. During the investigation, STF arrested Manish Ballar and Pankaj Ashtwal. Later, a woman posing as Rekha was also arrested. Now, another accused, Akash Saxena, has been sent to jail, and recently Vijay Kumar was arrested for giving fake testimony using a forged Aadhaar card in the fake documents.
During interrogation, it was revealed that Vijay Kumar was a close friend of previously arrested wanted and reward-carrying accused Akash Saxena. On Akash Saxena’s instructions, Vijay Kumar had earlier met Manish Ballar, Ankit, Rajkumar, Monika, and Pankaj Ashtwal. Tempted by money, he participated in illegal land transactions in the Roorkee area and gave fake testimony by placing a forged Aadhaar card and his own photograph in place of Sumit Kumar’s identity in a fake power of attorney made for Pankaj Ashtwal.
So far, seven accused have been arrested and sent to jail in this case. STF officials said the investigation is still going on and more arrests may follow.
