Constable takes on snatchers in east Delhi, injures 1 after shootout
NEWDELHI: A man, suspected to be a snatcher, was injured and another managed to escape in a gunbattle with a Delhi Police constable in East Delhi’s Vishwas Nagar on Wednesday afternoon.
The constable himself had a close shave as the sudden gunfire in a narrow lane triggered panic among people.
The injured man, Monu, who had sustained three bullets, is out of danger, said the police.
Together, the two men have at least 18 cases of snatching and robbery against them, police said.
Most recently, they were behind a snatching incident in Vishwas Nagar five days ago, close to the spot where the encounter happened.
A video of the encounter surfaced in which constable Vivek Kumar is seen taking on the alleged snatchers and how he shoots in retaliation when they opened fire.
Talking to Hindustan Times, Kumar said he was patrolling in his beat area of Vishwas Nagar on a two-wheeler around 1 pm when he chanced upon the duo passing by on a motorcycle and chal- lenged them.
“They had recently committed a snatching in my beat. The CCTV footage of that incident was available. I remembered their appearance and the colour of their motorcycle. When I saw them passing by, it caught my attention,” said Kumar.
On noticing him, the two entered a narrow lane and he followed them. And soon, the gunfire started.
“Monu, who was riding the bike, did not stop. From my twowheeler I held on to the person
sitting on the pillion. As he managed to get away, I blocked their way from the front even as they tried to accelerate. The pillion rider fired a shot at me from a very close distance. The bullet missed as I ducked and fired in retaliation,” said Kumar.
Taking out his service weapon, a 9 mm pistol, he fired back. Of the three rounds he fired, a bullet each hit the left and right knees of Monu while a third brushed past his right arm. As Monu fell on the ground, his accomplice started fleeing. Kumar gave him a chase but he managed to flee.
Joint commissioner of police (eastern range) Ravindra Yadav said Monu was previously involved and arrested in 13 cases
of robbery, snatching and attempt-to-murder cases in UP and Delhi and had recently come out on bail.
Kumar’s effort won him praise from the top brass, said police officers.
Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik lauded the constable’s work as “extremely commendable” and said his action set an example for other beat policemen. “The police have to be extremely tough with such criminals,” Patnaik told Hindustan Times.
Dependra Pathak, Delhi Police’s chief spokesperson, said the police force recommended an out-of-turn promotion for him for his “exemplary courage”.