‘Bootlegger’ injuredin shootout with cops

The shootout took place after the alleged bootleggers ignored a police instruction to stop their car.

A man accused of bootlegging was shot at in his arm by the police at a traffic junction in east Delhi’s Seelampur in the early hours of Sunday, police said. An attempt to murder case has been registered against the suspect at Seelampur police station, police officials said.

Police seized Rs 44000 and a firearm from the suspects after the shootout. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Atul Kumar Thakur, deputy commissioner of police (North-east), said the incident took place when two alleged bootleggers were returning to Haryana after delivering illicit liquor to their contacts in east Delhi in a Toyota Innova car.

Maintaining that a brief shootout took place at the Dharampura traffic junction around 2.30 am, police said they received a call about the firing and reached the spot to find that one of the parties was the anti-auto theft squad (AATS) of the north-east district.

“A four-member team of the AATS were on the lookout for a wanted criminal when they noticed an Innova being driven rashly on the road. They decided to intercept the vehicle,” Thakur said . When signalled to stop, the Innova driver allegedly chose to ignore the police. The car was stopped a few hundred metres away at another traffic junction.

“A constable asked the two occupants of the car to surrender. But the Innova driver fired at the constable,” said the DCP.

“When the constable fired in self-defence, the suspect sitting next to the driver was hit in his hand,” he said. Meanwhile, local policemen rushed to the spot.

The injured suspect was rushed to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, from where he was referred to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital. Identified as Vicky, the suspect is out of danger, the officer said. Police said that the other suspect has been identified as Satpal, who has a case under the Excise Act in his name in Aman Vihar. “We have recovered Rs 44,000 cash and the weapon.”