NEW DELHI: Two notorious criminals, who were involved in dozens of snatching, extortion and robbery cases, were nabbed after being shot in their legs by police in separate operations within a span of 24 hours. Both are stated to be out of danger.
In the first case, Pravesh (26) was shot at by cops from Rohini district in Begumpur. He had been arrested on Monday morning. He tried to escape in the evening while returning after helping police arrest his associate, Naveen. Three semi-automatic pistols were seized during the raid.
DCP (Rohini) Pranav Tayal said, “When the police team reached near a helipad in the area, Pravesh complained of motion sickness and said he was going to throw up. He was let out and as soon as he bent to puke, he snatched a pistol from a policeman’s holster and fired a shot in a bid to escape. However, another cop shot him in the leg and Pravesh fell down. He was taken to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital and admitted there for treatment.”
The duo was tracked after a complaint from a trader alleging extortion of Rs 5 lakh. Pravesh was arrested on April 5. During interrogation, they disclosed that they had committed robbery at the complainant’s shop a few months ago. They targeted him again by making an extortion call. They were planning to set his house on fire to scare him into paying the money. They had also committed several snatchings in the area.
In the second operation, a criminal with 39 snatching cases lodged against him was shot in his right leg in Seemapuri of Shahdara district on Monday night. DCP Sathiyasundaram said the accused, Ehsan (31), is a resident of Trilokpuri in east Delhi. Police are looking for his associate.
The two criminals were caught on camera robbing a man at gunpoint in Shahdara in March. One of them was also seen getting into a scuffle with the victim. Later, the footage went viral on social media. After registering a case, police activated their informers and came to know that Ehsan and his aide were behind many such crimes in the area.
Surveillance was mounted and a trap was laid in Seemapuri after cops received a tip-off about Ehsan’s movements. He was spotted and flagged down, but he shot at the police team. In retaliatory firing, he got hit in his right leg. He was taken to GTB Hospital for treatment. A pistol, cartridges and a stolen bike were seized from him. He was found involved in cases of robbery, snatching, attempted murder, assault, possession of illegal weapons and burglary.