Wanted criminal, aide held after encounter
MEERUT: A commando sacked from his job was arrested with his aide after an encounter with the police in Bijnor on Tuesday night. Both were wanted by police of Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh for their involvement in many heinous crimes, including robbery of 25 kg gold in Churu (Rajasthan) and another robbery in Amritsar (Punjab).
Police recovered 300 gms gold looted during the robbery in Amritsar, two pistols and a motorcycle from them.
SP (city), Bijnor Dr Praveen Ranjan said that Ranjeet alias Commando and his aide Amjad of Muzaffarnagar sustained injuries during exchange of fire and were admitted to hospital. He said that a constable Badal Dhaka also sustained bullet injury in his shoulder.
Dr Ranjan said that both accused had over a dozen cases of loot, robbery and other crimes and they were also involved in the robbery in Mannapuram Finance Company in Churu. They looted 25 kg gold and Rs 8 lakh cash from there on June 14. Earlier, on March 21, they robbed a house in Amritsar, decamping with 300 grams gold and cash.
The SP said that Ranjeet and his gang members were unaware that the bag of gold looted from Manappuram Finance Company had chips and Rajasthan police started tracking them through GPS, recently arresting two gang members Shadab ( Muzaffarnagar) and Haneesh Thakur
( Mohali) in Hisar (Haryana). Ranjeet and Amjad managed to escape and went into hiding in Haridwar in Uttarakhand.
The SP said Amjad used to visit his in-laws’ house in Bijnor and he tipped the gang about availability of gold in the office of Muthut Fincorp. The gang did a recce of the office on July 18 and the next day Ranjeet went there to commit a loot but a vendor Hoshram present in the office caught hold of him and Ranjeet opened fire. Ranjeet escaped from there and later Hoshram succumbed to his injuries.
The official said that police parties were behind the gang since then. He said a joint team of city Kotwali and SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics), which was on checking on Mandawar Road on Tuesday night, stopped two motorcycle-borne people near Malan river and they opened fire on the police. When chased, they left the bike on the road and entered into the roadside sugarcane fields. In exchange of fire, both criminals sustained bullet injuries and were arrested.
Dr Ranjan said that Ranjeet was a commando and was fired in 2010 for his alleged involvement in criminal activities.
A resident of Patiala in Punjab, he gradually entered into the world of crime and formed his gang, targeting companies and traders who dealt in gold.
POLICE RECOVERED 300 GMS GOLD LOOTED DURING THE ROBBERY IN AMRITSAR, TWO PISTOLS AND A MOTORCYCLE FROM THEM.