3 sharpshooters held after shoot-out in Sohna; 2 policemen injured

According to the police, the crime branch of Sector 39 received a tip-off that three sharpshooters of Sube Gujjar’s gang would arrive in Sohna to allegedly murder a property dealer in Dhunela on Tuesday. Following this information, two teams were formed.

Three sharpshooters of a gang were arrested by the crime branch after a brief chase and alleged crossfiring in Sohna on Tuesday evening. At least 25 bullets were exchanged during the chase in which two gang members and two policemen suffered gunshot wounds. The injured were rushed to the civil hospital in Sohna for treatment, where their condition is stable, said the police. Two pistols, two revolvers, a countrymade gun, 110 live cartridges, a backpack, and a motorcycle were recovered from the possession of the suspects.

A case was registered against the suspects under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code(IPC) at Sohna City police station, said the police. (HT Archives. Representative image)

The police said two more policemen were shot at but they escaped injuries since they were wearing bulletproof vests.

According to the police, the crime branch of Sector 39 received a tip-off that three sharpshooters of Sube Gujjar’s gang would arrive in Sohna to allegedly murder a property dealer in Dhunela on Tuesday. Following this information, two teams were formed. The police noticed three suspects arriving on a motorcycle on Nangli road in Sohna. Upon spotting police presence, the rider reversed the motorcycle, arousing suspicion and the police started chasing them in a car.

During the chase, one of the pillion riders fired several gunshots at the police car. In retaliatory fire from the police, one pillion rider was shot in the leg and, as a result, the motorcycle lost balance and fell on the road. The second pillion rider’s foot got caught underneath the motorcycle. Both the suspects were caught while they were trying to flee. The motorcycle driver escaped on foot and fired several gunshots at sub-inspector(SI) Raj Kumar, who was leading the raid, and his team.

Two policemen, head constables Suneel and Abhilash, were hit on their arms respectively in the crossfire and were taken to civil hospital. Two bullets hit SI Kumar on his chest while one bullet hit ASI Adesh, but both escaped unhurt since they were wearing bulletproof vests. The third suspect was asked surrender but when he continued to fire at policemen, the police returned fire and he was shot in the leg, following which he was nabbed.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), crime, said, “The suspects — Rajesh alias Fauji, Kamal alias Kamli and Aman — are sharpshooters of Sube Gujjar’s gang. The police had received an input that they would be targeting a property dealer in Dhunela. Rajesh alias Fauji is a bad character — a person with a history of crime — of Sadar police station and is accused in at least 18 criminal cases, including murder, robbery and dacoity. The other two are also accused in several criminal cases in Nuh, Palwal and Gurugram.”

The suspects have been admitted to civil hospital in Sohna and would be questioned after they are taken into custody. The nature of injuries is not serious, said police. Sube Gujjar, a gangster who is accused in several cases, is on the run since 2018. He has a reward of ₹5 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

Police commissioner K K Rao has announced a cash reward of ₹2 lakh and a certificate of appreciation for the crime branch unit of Sector 39. A case was registered against the suspects under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code(IPC) at Sohna City police station, said the police.