Mumbai Court Acquits All Accused in Gadoli ‘Fake Encounter’ Case; Divya Pahuja Murder Trial Continues in Gurugram
A decade after gangster Sandeep Gadoli was shot dead in a Mumbai hotel, a sessions court has cleared all eight accused — including Haryana Police personnel — citing insufficient evidence, as the separate trial for the murder of key witness Divya Pahuja progresses in Haryana
A Mumbai sessions court on Friday acquitted all eight accused in the 2016 alleged fake encounter killing of Gurugram gangster Sandeep Gadoli, bringing a dramatic legal close to one of Haryana’s most controversial criminal cases. The acquitted include five Haryana Police personnel, raising lingering questions about policing, criminal networks, and encounter killings.
Gadoli was shot dead on February 7, 2016, at a hotel near Mumbai’s international airport during an operation by a Gurugram police team, which maintained the encounter was genuine, stating that Gadoli — wanted in over 40 criminal cases — opened fire at officers when they attempted to arrest him. However, the Mumbai Police subsequently launched a separate investigation that told a starkly different story.
The SIT set up to probe the encounter had claimed that Gadoli’s girlfriend Divya Pahuja, while travelling with him, was in constant touch with Haryana police through her mother Sonia, who allegedly passed on his location. Rival gangster Virendra Kumar alias Binder Gujjar was also alleged to have conspired in the encounter over a long-standing personal and political rivalry with Gadoli.
Despite years of investigation and trial, the court ultimately acquitted all accused, citing a lack of conclusive evidence to prove charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. The verdict has renewed scrutiny over how encounters are investigated and prosecuted in India.
The Divya Pahuja Thread — From Key Witness to Murder Victim
The acquittal adds a bitter footnote to the fate of Divya Pahuja, who spent seven years in jail as an accused in the Gadoli case before being granted bail in 2023 — only to be murdered months later. The 27-year-old former model was shot dead at Hotel City Point in Gurugram on January 2, 2024. The trial against her in the Gadoli case was abated following her death.
In the Pahuja murder case, a local Gurugram court has framed charges against six of the seven accused. Key accused and hotel owner Abhijeet Singh faces charges of murder, criminal conspiracy, concealment of evidence, and illegal possession of arms. Hemraj, Om Prakash, Balraj and Ravi Banga were charged for criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, while one accused, Megha, turned approver in the case. All the charged accused have pleaded not guilty and opted for trial.
Pahuja’s family has maintained that she was murdered at the behest of Gadoli’s sister and brother, who allegedly paid Singh to kill her in revenge for Gadoli’s death — a claim that adds yet another layer of complexity to a web of crime, betrayal, and disputed justice that spans a full decade.
The Gadoli acquittal, while legally conclusive for now, is widely expected to provoke appeals. Observers note that Friday’s verdict does not resolve the deeper moral and institutional questions surrounding the events of that February night in 2016 — questions that may never be fully answered.
