Cattle thieves shoot at man during escape bid in Pataudi village near Gurugram

Police said the incident took place around 1am when village sarpanch Darshan Kumar was returning from a wedding and heard some commotion about thieves allegedly trying to steal a buffalo from a house after breaking the locks of an animal shelter.

A 19-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound in his left shoulder after a gang of cattle thieves allegedly shot at him while trying to escape after their bid to steal a buffalo was foiled in Balewa village of Pataudi, late Sunday night, police said.

A 19-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound in his left shoulder after a gang of cattle thieves allegedly shot at him while trying to escape after their bid to steal a buffalo was foiled in Balewa village of Pataudi, late Sunday night, police said. (Picture for representation)

The victim, Akash, who is pursuing his diploma course, was rushed to a private hospital in IMT-Manesar where his condition was assessed as stable, police said.

Police said the incident took place around 1am when village sarpanch Darshan Kumar was returning from a wedding and heard some commotion about thieves allegedly trying to steal a buffalo from a house after breaking the locks of an animal shelter.

According to the police, the villagers noticed several men escaping in a pickup truck (Tata-407) parked near the house of Mehar Chand, whose house was allegedly broken into.

“To corner them, the victim, the sarpanch and three villagers took Kumar’s SUV and chased the pickup truck for about nine kilometers. When they reached a school in Khor near Nanu Khurd, the accused stopped their pickup truck and started backing their vehicle in an alleged attempt to ram the SUV,” Pataudi station house officer Suresh Kumar said.

Police said that one of the accused men first threw stones at the car and then another allegedly pulled out a gun and shot at the vehicle.

The bullet pierced the car’s windshield and hit Akash, who was driving, SHO Kumar said, adding that the bullet grazed him and was not lodged in the body.

The sarpanch said he was seated in the co-driver’s seat during the chase when the suspects started throwing stones at their car. “Our car was about 250 feet behind the truck when they suddenly stopped and started reversing. I asked Akash to reverse too, but his foot slipped from the clutch and our car stopped. One of the accused shot at us through the front windshield before escaping. The accused men drove the truck towards Rewari. The victim was rushed to a hospital by the villagers; the police were informed around 1.45am. Probe revealed that at least three men were in the truck,” Kumar said.

A case was registered against the unidentified accused under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) and section 25/54/59 of Arms Act.