From Jharkhand jail to Dehradun wealth: Police trace gangster Vikram Sharma’s Rs 100-crore property empire after murder

DEHRADUN: Amid the ongoing probe into the murder of Jharkhand gangster Vikram Sharma in the heart of Dehradun, it has been found that Sharma had allegedly accumulated properties worth over Rs 100 cr in the city where he had been staying since 2021 after coming out of a Jharkhand jail on conditional bail.

Sharma was allegedly killed by three unidentified bike-borne shooters on Friday morning. IG Garhwal Rajeev Swaroop subsequently launched a 15-day drive to verify credentials of property dealers and those involved in construction business. The Jharkhand gangster was also running a stone crusher plant in Kashipur, Udham Singh Nagar district, police said.

"During the drive, credentials and background of property dealers and developers along with those involved in mining business are being checked. Appropriate legal measures would be initiated if anything is found in violation of applicable laws," Swaroop said on Sunday.

On the question of nabbing the assailants, he added that police teams have found "crucial evidence along with significant inputs about the motive behind the crime and those involved in it". Swaroop further said, "We're in coordination with our counterparts in Jharkhand."

Senior police officers had said they suspect that Sharma was possibly killed by his protege, another dreaded gangster, Akhilesh Singh, in a dispute over sharing of extortion money. Singh is currently lodged in Dumka Central Jail in Jharkhand.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, DGP Deepam Seth directed a statewide "intensive verification drive" to take strict action against suspicious individuals. "During the drive, illegal foreign nationals, infiltrators and suspicious outsiders would be identified and necessary legal action taken against them. It would be conducted jointly by police, STF, SOG and LIU units," a statement by state police headquarters said.