Gangster Himanshu Bhau used fake passport to enter US, detained by ICE while seeking asylum: Report

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken Indian gangsters Himanshu Bhau and Neeraj Kaushik into custody in Las Vegas. Both are listed as being held at the Henderson Detention Center in Nevada, under the jurisdiction of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in Las Vegas.

Bhau, wanted in India in multiple murder and extortion cases, was initially detained for misrepresentation after Haryana police said he had fled the country using a fake surname in his passport, according to Haryana police.

Unsuccessful asylum application

Bhau, who is believed to have fled India in 2022, entered the US from Portugal using a false identity as Himanshu Sigroha. According to a Times of India report, Bhau and his associate Neeraj Faridpuria, who also entered the US using forged documents, landed in ICE’s net after deliberately giving themselves up to seek asylum.

When their biometrics were scrutinized, discrepancies were found and later it was found that they were wanted criminals from India.

Haryana Police is seeking the extradition of Himanshu Bhau

Meanwhile, the Haryana police said they are working with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India’s nodal agency for Interpol, to speed up the process of deporting Bhau from the United States.

Bhau, whose real name is Himanshu Ritoliya, hails from Rohtak in Haryana and faces several criminal cases in India, including murder, attempt to murder, extortion, intimidation and forgery. From August 2023, an Interpol red notice applies against him.

Bhau’s alleged criminal network has been linked to several incidents in India. In August 2025, police arrested two alleged gunmen in connection with a shooting outside YouTuber Elvish Yadav’s Gurugram residence.

Investigators said the accused acted on the instructions of jailed gangsters Neeraj Faridpuria and Bhau, who allegedly coordinated the supply of weapons, financing and logistical arrangements.

The gang was also linked to a 2024 shooting at a Burger King outlet in Delhi’s Rajouri Garden, where a 26-year-old man was killed. Bhau claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed that the victim was involved in the 2020 murder of his associate Shakti Dad.

Those allegedly associated with the gang were additionally linked to the killing of a close aide of Haryanvi singer Rahul Yadav, popularly known as Fazilpuria, in Gurugram.

The murder of a gym trainer in Delhi

Recently, the gang made headlines after claiming responsibility for the murder of a gym trainer in Delhi’s Aya Nagar. Vijay Kumar, a trainer and gym owner in South Delhi’s Aya Nagar, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants in broad daylight on September 14. According to police, Kumar was the third person to be killed in an ongoing local family rivalry.