STOCKTON, CA – Sunil Yadav, a notorious Punjab born drug smuggler wanted in multiple cases in Rajasthan, was killed in a shootout here on December 23. Yadav, known for trafficking drugs into India via the Pakistan route, had previously been linked to a seized drug consignment worth Rs 300 crore.Gangster Rohit Godara, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed the killing. He alleged that Yadav had collaborated with the Punjab police to have their associate, Ankit Bhadu, killed in an encounter. In a statement, Godara said, “We have avenged him. Sunil Yadav fled the country after his involvement in Bhadu’s death was revealed. In the US, he was sharing information about our brothers.”
The gang, in a Facebook post, accused Yadav and his aides of making the youth of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan addicted to drugs and selling narcotics in connivance with the police.Yadav, originally from Abohar in Punjab’s Fazilka district, had once been associated with the Bishnoi gang, Indian media reported. However, following Bhadu’s killing, their relationship soured.Before fleeing to the US, on a fake passport with the name Rahul, Yadav had lived in Dubai, and Rajasthan police had worked with international authorities to have him arrested there. He was also involved in the murder of jeweler Pankaj Soni in Rajasthan’s Ganganagar district but had been released on bail.