New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) Three men with a history of serious criminal offences were injured in an exchange of fire with police in west Delhi’s Nangloi area in the early hours of Saturday, police said.
Earlier this week, they fired on a police patrol team in Nangloi while fleeing after a botched burglary attempt, they said.
According to police, around 3.35 am on Saturday, they spotted the suspects near Prem Nagar Crossing following inputs that armed men on a motorcycle were in the area, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sachin Sharma said.
“When the police team signalled them to stop for verification, the trio tried to escape but their motorcycle skidded. They opened indiscriminate fire at the police team, prompting retaliatory action,” he said.
During the exchange of fire, the accused sustained bullet injuries in their legs, while Sub-Inspector Yogender and Head Constable Vikas Kumar escaped unhurt as the bullets hit their bulletproof jackets, the officer said.
Firoz alias Sajid (32), Md Kamran alias Shahrukh alias Md Sharif (38) and Osaf Ali (48), all residents of Loni in Ghaziabad, were apprehended after the encounter.
The injured accused were taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri where they are undergoing treatment, police said.
Police recovered one country-made pistol, two .32-bore pistols, four live cartridges and five empty shells from their possession. The weapons have been sent for forensic examination.
Earlier on October 22, the same trio had allegedly opened fire on a police patrol near Mangolpuri flyover after being intercepted in a suspicious car while attempting to break into a hardware shop in Nangloi.
When challenged, the suspects fled in the car, he said, adding that a hot chase ensued. “After chasing around 5 km, the patrolling bike ran parallel to the fleeing car and warned the occupants to stop. However, one of the accused persons in the co-driver seat opened fire on the chasing police party near Mangolpuri flyover,” he added.
A police officer challenged them by firing two rounds, during which one bullet hit the car forcing the suspects to abandon the car and escape while firing bullets on the police team.
A case was registered in connection with that incident, and multiple teams were formed to track down the accused using technical surveillance and eyewitness inputs.
The accused have a long criminal history, including cases of robbery, dacoity, kidnapping for ransom and offences under the Arms Act. In 2017, while fleeing after committing dacoity, Firoz allegedly fired at the police with the intention to kill, police said.
The officer added that the crime scene has been inspected by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and Crime Team, and further investigation is underway.
Appropriate legal action has been initiated in connection with the latest encounter, police said. PTI SSJ ARB SKY SKY
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.