The Jaipur police had written to the Army about four-five months ago for initiating court-martial proceedings against the Captain with 61 Cavalry stationed in Jaipur.

Police sources in Jaipur said that they stumbled upon evidence against him in May 1998, on a tip-off. The police nabbed four men from RTDC-run government hostel in Jaipur on May 20 last year. They were members of a gang and were planning the murder of a rival gangster, Amit.

The police recovered from them four mobile phones and guns. It was learnt, the police sources say, that the cellphones had been arranged by Capt Ahlawat. He, they say, also arranged for their lodging in the government hostel without entering their names in the records.

Subsequent information revealed that it was Capt Ahlawat who had informed the gang about Amit whom they wanted to kill.

Sources close to Captain Ahlawat said he was `shocked' to have to discovered his name amongst dreaded criminals and gun-runners. Ahlawat who hails from a Delhi village called Gochi, the source said, ``has only heard about Anoop Singh (a Delhi gang leader who he allegedly sheltered) but has never met him.''

However, even sources close to Ahlawat admit that there is a common link between the Captain and the Mitraoun gangsters a local youngster, Sanjay. ``Sanjay was close to the gang but was not a part of it. He wanted to join the Army and used to come to Ahlawat for advice on how he should go about it.''

It is Sanjay, they believe, ``who might have mentioned Ahlawat's name to the gang members.''

What, however, remains to be answered is how the Captain got his name dragged into two separate police operations that have no apparent links with each other one involving the arrest and consequent interrogation of Anoop Singh. During his confession, Anoop reportedly told the police of having being offered an AK-47 by the Captain. The other revolves around the recent arrest of gangsters owing allegiance to the Chhota Rajan gang, one of whom is an alleged gun-runner having links with the Captain.

The police made an emphatic declaration of the Captain's involvement by announcing his name in a press conference. According to their findings, is in the ``same league'' as the accused gun-runner Sunil Sharma. Sources close to Ahlawat said that Sunil Sharma was a member of the Polo Club and may have met the Captain ``only two or three times in the past two or three years.''Police sources in Jaipur say since the police can act against Army officers only in cases of murder and rape, they prepared a case against the Captain and forwarded it to the Army for court-martial proceedings. This was about four months ago. Army officers in Jaipur refused to comment on the issue.

The Army has yet to officially react to the police allegations against a serving Captain in the Indian Army. A response, however, is expected tomorrow when the top brass of the Defence establishment are expected to sit and screen the charges.