Murder in old enmity between gangs identified by numbers in Rajasthan

A person was murdered with an axe on the road in Jaipur on Wednesday, which is reportedly linked to a seven-year-old enmity. According to an NDTV report, Vijay Bajia was murdered in this manner in Jagadamba Nagar. This attack is believed to have been carried out to avenge the murder of a person named Kailash, who was killed by Vijay in 2019. Police have arrested four individuals in connection with this murder.

The main accused is 21-year-old Hanish Golya, the son of Kailash. It is believed that Hanish, along with his associates, carried out this attack to avenge the murder of Kailash by Vijay seven years ago. Hanish had completed his engineering studies and had also worked in a private company for a short period, but subsequently joined the gang. He had been living with a sense of revenge for years.

There was gang enmity between Kailash and Vijay over a liquor contract. This dispute, which began between two individuals, eventually dragged their families and associates into a bitter feud that lasted for years. While the police have solved the murder case of Vijay Bajia, the case has drawn attention to a new emerging trend in Rajasthan: gangs that identify themselves through four-digit numbers.

Hanish and his associates have a specific tattoo on their hands. According to NDTV's research, this tattoo represents their gang, known as '7007'. Hanish and the other three arrested accused—Dinesh, Kamlesh, and Yuvraj—are associated with this group. On the other hand, Vijay Bajia was running an opposing gang named '1507'.

Both these groups are part of a growing gang culture in Rajasthan, where numbers are used as their identity. Such organisations operate at various levels. Vijay Bajia, who was murdered in the Kardhani area, had named his gang '1507' based on his birthday. In contrast, the '7007' gang used the number plates of its members' vehicles for its name. The registration number of the first member's vehicle was 7007, and subsequently, other members also purchased vehicles with the same number. This became a way for members to identify each other and establish the group's identity.

For these gangs, the number itself is the core of their identity. Every vehicle registration plate has four digits, and the number chosen by the gang leader is often considered a lucky number. This incident has raised questions regarding how youth join gangs and how they create their identities through numbers.