3 robbers held after exchange of fire in Prem Nagar

Three men accused of robbery and burglary were arrested in Delhi after a brief shootout with police, who were injured but apprehended the suspects.

Three men, accused in cases of robbing, snatching, and burglary, were arrested on Saturday in northwest Delhi’s Prem Nagar after a brief exchange of fire. Police tried to arrest the three on Wednesday, but they escaped after firing on the police team.

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The accused are Feroz alias Sajid, 38; Mohammad Kamran, 32; and Osaf Ali,48, all from Ghaziabad. A case was registered after the Wednesday.

Joint commissioner of police (western range) Jatin Narwal said that on Wednesday at about 3.25 am, a bike patrolling team of the Nangloi police station noticed a grey Honda City car and at least four people attempting burglary of a hardware shop. When challenged, the suspects fled in the car.

“A hot chase ensued by the patrolling team. After chasing around five kilometres, the patrolling bike ran parallel to the fleeing car and warned the occupants to stop. However, the suspect seated on the front passenger seat opened fire at the police team near Mangolpuri flyover. Our constable challenged them by firing two rounds, one of which hit the car, forcing the suspects to abandon their vehicle and flee while continuing fire on the personnel,” said Narwal.

A case was registered in connection with the incident and teams were formed to identify and nab the suspects. Through a combination of technical investigation, eyewitness accounts, and digital evidence, three suspects were identified as Firoz alias Sajid, Mohammad Kamran and Osaf Ali, all from Loni in Ghaziabad. The fourth suspect was a minor boy, said deputy commissioner of police (outer) Sachin Sharma.

Around 3 am on Saturday, Sharma said, the Nangloi police team received information from a passerby that some people with firearms were roaming around Kirari Mor. Multiple teams were dispatched to find the suspects. At about 3.35 am, they spotted three suspects on a motorcycle near Prem Nagar Crossing and asked them to stop for verification.

“The suspects tried to speed away but in the process their motorcycle slipped. Thereafter, they opened indiscriminate fire on the police team. A sub-inspector and a head constable received one bullet each in their bulletproof vests. The team members responded with seven bullets, hitting the suspects’ legs. They were taken to a nearby government hospital for medical attention,” added Sharma.