Six, including four policemen, injured in a shoot-out in Nuh

Six people, including four policemen, were severely injured in retaliatory firing by a group of suspected criminals in Nuh on Tuesday morning, during a raid to arrest

Six people, including four policemen, were severely injured in retaliatory firing by a group of suspected criminals in Nuh on Tuesday morning, during a raid to arrest a 30-year-old man, named Imran, who has been accused in several cases of ATM theft, robbery, cattle smuggling and carjacking. The incident took place in Punhana in Nuh, said the police.

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The four injured head constables, who suffered bullet injuries on their shoulders, were shifted to Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak, after doctors referred them from Civil Hospital in Nuh. The two suspects, on the other hand, were shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi from Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College in Nalhar. According to the police, the suspects have suffered bullet injuries in their legs.

Vivek Chaudhary, deputy superintendent of police, Punhana, said that they received a tip-off that Imran was in Rajpur village and a few of his gang members from Jarauli village in Punhana were out to steal cows and smuggle them for slaughtering. “We deployed teams and were checking all passing vehicles and two wheelers. Around 4.10 am, two bikers were seen travelling towards Rajpur village. When the teams tried to stop them, they broke the barricades and tried to flee. The police teams chased them and reached Rajpur. By that time, they had called in their close aides, who started pelting stones on police. Soon firing followed, in which four policemen suffered bullet injuries,” he said, adding that the policemen were presently out of danger. The two bikers, who the police later found out were Imran’s cousins, named Ikhlash and Ikram, were held after they allegedly jumped off a rooftop to evade arrest but ended up getting injured. Chaudhary added a team of 10 personnel from the crime unit and Punhana police station had gone to Rajpur,around 94 kilometres from Gurugram, to conduct the raid.

The main suspect Imran has 15 cases of murder, attempt to murder, carjacking, dacoity, robbery, theft and kidnapping registered against him in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Of those, three cases are registered at the Sector 56 and Sector 29 police stations in Gurugram. Imran has been jailed several times in the past and was granted bail by a court in Rajasthan for cow smuggling. In another case, he was released on parole last year but has allegedly been on the run since then.

The police said when the team had reached the village, the two bikers called his close aides and friends, who fired at police with countrymade pistols. Some locals allegedly started pelting the team with stones.

Chaudhary said they exchanged gunfire for around half an hour, during whey the suspects fired 20 rounds and the police fired six.

Ajay, one of the head constables, who was injured, tried to overpower one of the suspects, when he was shot at on the shoulder. “Imran managed to escape after his brothers gave him cover by opening fire. His cousins, Ikhlash and Ikram, tried to jump off from the roof top but got arrested, after being injured” said Chaudhary.

The police said that they did not expect to face heavy resistance. During the crossfire, other head constables, Tej Singh, Mahesh and Alli, sustained bullet injuries on their shoulders and arms. More than 10 policemen suffered minor injuries.

The four policemen were shifted to PGIMS Rohtak around noon from Nuh and were operated upon in the evening. Narender Bijarnia, the superintendent of police (SP), Nuh, visited the injured personnel. He said a team has been constituted to arrest the remaining accused. “Haryana Police is working in close coordination with other states, including UP and Rajasthan. Our priority at present is to ensure best medical treatment our brave officers,” Bijarnia said, adding that during questioning, the suspects revealed that they have been declared proclaimed offenders by the Rajasthan Police.

The police have registered a case against more than 20 people, of which 10 have been named, including the main suspect, and his cousins.