Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Feb 13 : The life of Vikram Sharma — once a dreaded name in Jamshedpur’s criminal underworld — reflects a dramatic arc spanning organized crime, political links, prolonged incarceration, and an unexpected association with spiritual gatherings.
Sharma, who was facing more than 20 criminal cases in Jamshedpur, had been acquitted in several of them over the years.
In recent times, he had projected himself in a more “white-collar” role and remained active on social media following his release from jail.
Originally a resident of Dehradun in Uttarakhand, Sharma had been absconding for nearly 10 years before he was arrested on April 15, 2017, from a flat in Dehradun by the Jamshedpur police.
At the time, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Jamshedpur was Anoop T. Mathew.
He owned a flat at Ashiana in the MGM police station area of Jamshedpur and had earlier resided in Mango and before that in Sidhgora.
Sharma was widely regarded as the criminal mentor of gangster Akhilesh Singh, who is currently lodged in Dumka jail.
Investigators and local sources have long claimed that Sharma played a guiding role in Singh’s rise in the criminal hierarchy.
In 2008, during the tenure of then Superintendent of Police Naveen Kumar Singh, multiple firing incidents targeted prominent residences and offices in Jamshedpur.
Police investigations suggested that the attacks were orchestrated at the behest of Sharma and Akhilesh Singh to incite public outrage against the police administration and allegedly force a transfer of the SP.
Among the most high-profile cases in which Sharma’s name surfaced was the October 2008 murder of Tata Steel security officer Jayaram Singh near Baug-e- Jamshed School. His name also figured in the killing of Ashish Dey, owner of Sreeleathers (Sakchi store), firing on Ravi Chaurasia of Kashidih in Sakchi, and the Parmjeet Singh murder case, among others.
In the murder of transporter Ashok Sharma of Sonari’s Ashiana area, Vikram Sharma and his brother Arvind Sharma were named alongside Akhilesh Singh, Pinky Sharma, Harish Arora, and Mantu.
While Harish Arora was sentenced to life imprisonment, Akhilesh Singh, Vikram Sharma, and Mantu were acquitted.
Proceedings against Arvind Sharma are still pending, though he has secured bail from the High Court.
After his arrest in 2017, Sharma remained incarcerated until January 30, 2021, when he was released from Ranchi’s Hotwar Jail on bail granted by the Jharkhand High Court.
The court directed him to remain physically present in ongoing cases before the Jamshedpur court. He complied with court appearances following his release.
Sharma was also associated with a political party in Jharkhand at one point. Interestingly, those who knew him describe him as a “satsangi” who frequently attended spiritual congregations and even encouraged Akhilesh Singh to participate.
During the time both were lodged in Sakchi jail, satsang programmes were reportedly organized inside the prison premises.
Sharma was reportedly on the radar of criminal Kartik Munda, a former shooter of Akhilesh Singh who later turned into a wanted figure in the district. According to sources, Sharma became cautious after learning that he was being targeted.
However, on July 12, 2024, Kartik Munda died under suspicious circumstances after allegedly falling from a flat during a police raid in Sonari, bringing a sudden end to the brewing rivalry.
Vikram Sharma’s trajectory — from a fugitive gangster and alleged mastermind to a politically connected figure with a public spiritual persona — underscores the complex intersections of crime, power, and image-building in Jharkhand’s recent history.
