UP jail escapee with ₹25,000 reward caught after gunfight in Manesar

The 24-year-old Kannauj jail escapee, carrying a ₹25,000 reward, was shot in the leg and arrested after an exchange of fire in Manesar

Gurugram: A 24-year-old suspect who had escaped from a jail in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, was caught after an exchange of fire with a crime branch team in Manesar’s Kasan late Thursday night, police said.

Gurugram crime branch caught a UP jail escapee after a late-night gunfight in Kasan (Representative photo)

Police said the suspect, Ankit Kumar alias Gudda, is a resident of Hajurapur in Kannauj and was hiding in rented accommodation in Khoh village in Gurugram.

He had escaped from Kannauj jail in January this year, where he was lodged after being arrested for allegedly possessing illegal firearms.

According to police, Kumar has six criminal cases registered against him in Uttar Pradesh, and the UP Police had declared a reward of ₹25,000 on him for his arrest.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram Police, said the Manesar crime branch unit had received input about the movement of a wanted suspect from Panchgaon Chowk to Kasan village, following which vehicle checking was carried out on various routes in the area.

Turan said the suspect lost balance of his motorcycle in a hurry and toppled when he opened fire on the police team closing in as he attempted to flee. “One of the raiding team members was hit but the bullet-proof jacket he was wearing saved him,” he said.

Investigators said the police retaliated after firing a warning shot and asking Kumar to surrender, but he kept firing at the police team and was eventually shot in the leg and overpowered.

They said he was taken to the Civil Hospital in Sector 10A for treatment and will be formally arrested once doctors declare him medically fit.

An FIR against Kumar was registered for attempt to murder and under the Arms Act at the Manesar police station early Friday. Police said a pistol, a magazine, five empty cartridges, one live cartridge, and a motorcycle were recovered from the spot.