New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) After a brief chase and an encounter, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested two wanted members of an interstate Mewati gang involved in multiple ATM break-ins on Thursday, an official said on Friday.
Both the accused, Sazid (23) and Adil (27), residents of Mathura and Palwal in Haryana, respectively, were on a bike when they were signalled to stop by the police. They tried to flee and, after a brief chase and an exchange of fire, both were arrested near the Jaitpur-Kalindi Kunj Pusta road around 10 pm, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Amit Kaushik said.
Both were injured in the encounter and are currently undergoing treatment in a hospital, the officer added.
Two pistols with live cartridges, a total of Rs 48,500 looted during a recent ATM break-in in Siliguri in West Bengal and a stolen bike from Delhi have been recovered, he added.
According to the officer, the Special Cell had been tracking Sazid and his gang for the past six months. He is wanted in connection with several ATM loot and arms trafficking cases in several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi. Adil is wanted in cases in Gujarat and West Bengal.
Police said the breakthrough in the case came following the January arrest of a Mewat-based criminal, Jamshed, by the Special Cell team.
Jamshed, who was wanted in the 2012 murder of a Delhi Police head constable, Yashpal, following an alleged cow theft in Baba Haridas Nagar, had allegedly disclosed during interrogation that he got the weapon from Sazid. He allegedly also accused Sazid of being involved in multiple ATM robberies across states.
“Since then, police teams camped in the Mewat region and developed information about Sazid’s operations. Sazid and his associates would travel to target states in trucks, carrying gas cylinders and tools required for cutting ATMs.
“After conducting reconnaissance and stealing local vehicles for the operation, they would abandon the vehicles post-robbery and return to Mewat via different routes,” the DCP said.
On July 24, the team received information about Sazid and Adil’s movement in the Madanpur Khadar area and laid a trap on the Jaitpur-Kalindi Kunj Pusta road.
Sazid revealed that he had previously been arrested by the police in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab in connection with ATM robberies.
Following the arrest of his associates by Mathura Police, he shifted his base to Nuh to evade arrest.
Police also said Adil confessed to being involved in multiple ATM loots. PTI BM APL BM APL SKY SKY
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.