Gorakhpur. The Special Task Force (STF) has widened its inquiry into an alleged weapons‑smuggling network tied to Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar and Rohit Godara, uncovering local links in Gorakhpur. A total of 31 individuals have now been listed as accused, including a political aide and the son of a police sub‑inspector. Investigators are scrutinising the mobile devices, social‑media footprints and contact lists of those already in custody.
Authorities are currently verifying the identities of the local contacts identified during the probe. They aim to establish what, if any, conversations these persons had with the accused and whether they played a role in the purported arms‑smuggling operation. 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 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 the Cantt Police Station, teams have begun systematic raids to locate the remaining fugitives, simultaneously analysing phone numbers and online activity extracted from seized devices.
The STF’s current focus is on pinpointing the local actors allegedly involved in distributing firearms that entered Gorakhpur and the wider Purvanchal region from other states. Phone logs and social‑media contacts recovered from the arrested suspects are being cross‑referenced with known networks.
Five Accused Arrested on Monday Night
On Monday night, STF operatives apprehended Shreyansh Yadav (alias Bablu), Ajit Yadav, Abhishek Gaud (alias Bheli), Abhishek Prajapati (alias Abhi) and Rahul Gupta near Vindhyavasini Park. During subsequent interrogations, investigators disclosed an additional 26 names, bringing the total list of accused to 31. While five have been taken into custody, the remaining 26 are still at large.
More than ten teams are conducting coordinated raids across Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, as well as in Gorakhpur, Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts, to track down the fugitives. Shashank Pandey, a resident of Bihar, is regarded as a pivotal link in the investigation.
The probe has also uncovered the identities of Suraj Yadav, a PAC employee from Bansgaon, and his associate Pramod Yadav. According to the STF, the duo allegedly bought weapons from the same smuggling ring as part of a plot to eliminate a young man. Police are now searching for the firearms and tracing the contacts associated with the purchase. Both men are believed to have gone underground after learning of the police operation.
STF officers have reached out to Shashank Pandey’s ancestral village in an effort to locate him. His network of contacts established during his time in Gorakhpur is also under investigation. Earlier inquiries had hinted at his connections to an arms network allegedly linked to the Bishnoi gang.
