Gang opens fire at police van in Gurugram to free 2 undertrial prisoners
ENCOUNTER Police nab three, including one prisoner, after shootout in Sikrona village; search on for others; cop injured
GURUGRAM: An assistant sub-inspector was injured when a group of 10 suspected criminals allegedly opened fire at a prison van and fled with two undertrial prisoners.
The incident took place on Gurugram-faridabad Road on Saturday, said the police. The city police, thereafter, chased the group and managed to arrest three persons, including one of the undertrial prisoners, after an encounter in Sikrona village in Faridabad. The entire operation lasted for half an hour.
The police said the arrested suspects are said to be members of Raju Basodi gang, which used to operate from Tihar jail . Two o f t hei r a c c o mplices were lodged inside Bhondsi jail for their alleged involvement in over two dozen criminal cases.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Naresh Sethi, Kapil and Sandeep alias Kala Jatheri. As per the police, Sandeep was the undertrial prisoner who had managed to flee from police custody.
KK Rao, the commissioner of Faridabad police, said the incident took place near Hanuman Mandir on Gurugram-faridabad Road around 3.24pm.
He said five police personnel, including an assistant sub-inspector, were escorting seven undertrial prisoners from Faridabad court to Bhondsi jail when four cars, which were following them, fired at the van and punctured its tyres. They then intercepted the van and allegedly fired more than 150 gunshots at the police team.
“An assistant sub-inspector was injured in the attack, while o t hers managed a narrow escape. The group then freed two undertrial prisoners and fled. The police team raised an alarm and i mmed i a t e l y informed the crime teams of the incidents. The vehicles of the
THE POLICE SAID THE ARRESTED SUSPECTS ARE SAID TO BE MEMBERS OF RAJU BASODI GANG
suspects hit the police barricade, after which they abandoned them and fled into the fields of Sikrona village,” Rao said. More than 50 police personnel started combing the field and arrested three of the criminals after an encounter. Three of them received bullet injuries in their leg and shoulder and were rushed to a nearby hospital.
The police said that their statements will be recorded once they are declared fit. Rao said they have recovered 11 imported automatic pistols, one power pump gun and 150 cartridges, along with three vehicles, i ncl uding t wo s t ol e n Mahindra Scorpio SUVS.
The police said that one of the arrested men is Naresh Sethi, an alleged member of Raju Basodi gang, who used to operate from Tihar jail along with Sandeep alias Kala of Jatheri village in Sonipat.
It was Sethi, who had planned to free two of their gang members from the police custody on their way to Bhondsi jail. During preliminary interrogation on Saturday, they allegedly confessed to have killed at least six men in the past couple of months.
Sethi, who f l e d f r om t he pol i c e c ust o dy i n Delhi i n December 2019 after throwing chilli powder at police personnel, was involved in making extortion calls and demanding protection money from businessmen and industrialists.
Sandeep was imprisoned for one-and-a-half years for an attempt-to- murder case and was lodged in Bhondsi jail with two dozen murder and robbery charges against him. According t o t he poli ce, t he arms and ammunition were supplied to the gang by one Delhi resident, Tinku.
Rao also said t hat pistols worth more than ₹50 lakh were recovered from the gang.
At t e mpt s a r e o n t o n a b remaining suspects, said the police.
Manoj Yadava , director-general of police, has announced a reward of ₹5 lakh, while KK Rao has also announced an additional reward ₹5 lakh for the crime team for their commendable work.