Dehradun
Report: Alok Semwal
What began as just another gangland execution on Dehradun’s Rajpur Road has morphed into something far more sinister—a story of betrayal within the family. The police probe has uncovered a jaw-dropping revelation: Vikram Sharma’s own younger brother, Arvind Sharma, orchestrated his murder. The shooters are now identified, and all roads lead to a meticulously planned conspiracy hatched in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand—all for property worth crores.
A Plot Months in the Making
Friday morning’s bloodbath at Silver City Mall wasn’t spontaneous. It was the culmination of months of careful scheming. Sources within Jamshedpur police reveal that Arvind Sharma made a trip to the Mango neighborhood back in July 2025. There, he reconnected with an old accomplice named Prabhat. That meeting laid the groundwork for Vikram’s elimination. Investigators are now piecing together the entire network using CCTV evidence, local intelligence, and tracking suspect movements.
When Greed Eclipsed Blood Ties
The catalyst for this fratricide? Property worth crores scattered across Bistupur and Dehradun. The roots trace back to 1998, when transporter Ashok Sharma was killed in Jamshedpur. Vikram Sharma, his brother Arvind, and gangster Akhilesh Singh were all implicated in that murder.
Following Ashok’s death, Vikram played a calculated game. He orchestrated the marriage between Ashok’s widow, Pinky Sharma, and his younger brother Arvind. The strategy was transparent: keep Ashok’s fortune and business empire within the family’s control.
The Puppet and the Puppeteer
Marrying Pinky brought Arvind nominal ownership of the wealth, but Vikram always held the strings. After his release from prison, Vikram tightened his grip on assets in Dehradun and Bistupur. Friction intensified between the brothers, particularly over Dehradun’s real estate and the stone crusher operations.
Arvind reached his breaking point. In his mind, there was only one way to settle the score—remove Vikram from the equation permanently.
Bringing in the Hired Guns
This wasn’t a heat-of-the-moment killing. It was a contract hit, carried out with clinical precision. Investigation trails suggest the assassins flew in from Jharkhand to Uttarakhand. A breakthrough came from Haridwar police. The hitmen avoided using their own transportation to stay off the radar. One of the shooters, Akash Kumar Prasad, rented two vehicles from a rental shop across from Haridwar Railway Station, providing a Jharkhand-based Aadhaar card as ID. They picked up a bike on Thursday. Then, early Friday morning—hours before the murder—they secured a scooter at 4 AM. They left Haridwar at dawn and rolled into Dehradun by 9 AM.
Ambush at the Gym
The killers had already mapped out Vikram’s routine down to the minute. They knew exactly when he hit the gym and when he’d emerge. Around 10:10 AM, Vikram walked out of the ‘Anytime, Any Club’ gym after wrapping up his workout. Despite carrying his licensed pistol, he never had a split second to react. Two gunmen were already positioned on the mall’s staircase, waiting. The moment Vikram started down the steps, they unleashed a barrage of gunfire at near point-blank range. Three rounds struck him—two directly to the head. He collapsed instantly, dead before he hit the ground.
The shooters bolted from the mall on foot. Just down the street, their third partner sat astride a running bike. All three jumped on and vanished into traffic.
The Trio Unmasked
Using CCTV recordings and field intelligence, police have positively identified all three assailants. They’re seasoned criminals from Jamshedpur’s Bagbera and Jugsalai zones, reportedly connected to the Ganesh Singh criminal syndicate:
Akash Kumar Prasad (21) From Bagbera, Jamshedpur. Hotel staff recovered his Aadhaar card listing his birth date as 27/03/2004. He’s wanted for the murder of a liquor dealer in the Parsudih locality. His face is captured clearly in surveillance footage.
Ashutosh Kumar Singh (23) Also from Bagbera. His Aadhaar card was found at a hotel, showing birth date 19/10/2003. His name surfaced in connection with a shooting targeting railway contractor Neeraj Dubey. He’s been embedded in criminal networks for roughly eighteen months.
Vishal Singh Hailing from Jugsalai. Regarded as the most lethal of the three. He faces charges for the assassination of gangster Amarnath Singh in Dumka. He’s done prison time for that crime and was out on bail at the time of this hit.
The Man Behind the Curtain
Vikram Sharma wasn’t your average thug—he operated more like a crime syndicate’s CEO. Jamshedpur police records describe him as the strategic mastermind behind gangster Akhilesh Singh. Vikram had cracked the code for longevity in the underworld with his ‘3-P’ playbook: control the Police, cultivate Politicians, and manipulate the Press. From 2004 through 2009, numerous station chiefs and DSP-rank officials in Jamshedpur maintained direct ties with him. Word on the street is he’d arrange for rivals to be taken out in staged police shootouts or railroaded into custody through fabricated charges.
Playing Businessman in the Hills
After leaving a trail of carnage across Jamshedpur, Vikram relocated to Dehradun in 2017. He set up shop in ‘Green View Residency’ in Aman Vihar, living the lifestyle of a legitimate tycoon. His garage housed an Audi and an Innova. The people next door had zero idea they were living beside someone linked to more than 30 homicides. Vikram was rebranding himself as a respectable power broker and had his sights set on entering Jamshedpur’s political arena.
Master and Protégé in Crime
Vikram was the architect of Akhilesh Singh’s transformation into a feared don. He’d screen Chinese martial arts movies for Akhilesh to toughen his mindset. The executions of Shrileders proprietor Ashish De and Tata Steel security head Jayram Singh were blueprinted by this mentor-student pairing.
Law Enforcement Closes In
Uttarakhand’s Special Task Force and local police have coordinated with their Jharkhand counterparts. An investigative squad has deployed to Jharkhand and is hitting the shooters’ residences. Authorities are sifting through flight manifests to track the killers’ arrival. They’re also scrutinizing security camera recordings near the Haridwar rental outlet to identify whether a local fixer facilitated the operation. Drawing on testimony from Vikram’s widow, Sonia Sharma, and digital forensics, police have launched a manhunt for Arvind Sharma. Intelligence suggests he may have slipped across the border into Nepal or disappeared into another state.
