2 dead after shoot-out in Khajuri Khas
NEW DELHI: Two alleged criminals were killed in a shoot-out between them and a police team inside a residential building in north-east Delhi’s Khajuri Khas area on Wednesday midnight, police said on Thursday.
Two police constables also suffered bullet injuries in the exchange of fire, and were being treated at the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, the police said. Two automatic pistols, four magazines, 50 bullets, and nearly ₹1.5 lakh cash were recovered from the room where the two lived on rent. Police have identified them as Aamir Khan, a resident of Loni, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajman, from Wazirabad in north-west Delhi.
An investigator, who asked not to be named, said Khan was named in seven criminal cases and Rajman had five cases against him. Most of these cases were related to robbery and murder.
A second investigator, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a team from Begumpur police station went to the building in Khajuri Khas on Wednesday tracking a stolen bike. “As part of the checks before Independence Day, the team went there to verify a stolen motorcycle, and landed at the flat where the two men were hiding. When the police team identified themselves while knocking the doors of the flat, and asked the residents to come out, the two men refused and threatened to kill everyone,” he said.
The Begumpur police personnel then informed the local police. Deputy commissioner of police (north-east) SK Sain said the station house officer of Khajuri Khas police station received information from his Begumpur counterpart on Wednesday night about the presence of “wanted criminals with heavy arms and ammunition” in Shri Ram Colony area. A team was formed and the police left for the spot.
When the police team asked them to surrender, they allegedly refused and threatened to kill themselves and blow up the building. “They said they would kill themselves and everyone else,” the DCP said, adding that the police tried to pacify them but they did not calm down and kept shouting threats.
The team then asked families living in other flats of the fourstorey building to vacate their houses. One officer, who was part of the operation, said, “One of them said they had explosives. Another was threatening to kill himself. We even called the landlord of the house and promised to them that they would not be hurt. We have a photograph of one of them holding a pistol to his head. They said they have weapons and ammunition to last hours, but we kept trying to talk to them and asking them surrender.”
Around midnight, two hours after reaching the spot, the police decided to break into the room. When the inmates realised that the police were coming inside, they allegedly began firing
“The accused fired indiscriminately. They fired at our policemen from the windows and the door. The police team retaliated in self-defence. During cross firing, constables Sachin Khokar and Kalik Tomar suffered bullet injuries. Other members of the team pulled them back. The two criminals were also hit. Both of them and the injured police personnel were immediately shifted to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, Khan and Rajman were declared brought dead,” DCP Sain said.
Investigation has shown that the two men took the room on rent from a Sonia Vihar resident about two weeks ago. The house owner told police that she had asked them to provide their identification papers for police verification, but they were dillydallying.
On Thursday afternoon, there was heavy security in the area even as several locals were seen standing outside the building
“They looked like teachers and carried backpacks. Nobody knew about their criminal record,” said Virender, a local, adding that on Wednesday night, the residents first saw police outside the building around 10.30pm.