Gangster arrested after brief encounter in Dhaula Kuan

NEWDELHI: A 22-year-old alleged gangster from south west Delhi’s Najafgarh was arrested by Delhi police’s special cell after an encounter in south Delhi’s Dhaula Kuan on Tuesday night.

Two aides of the suspected gangsters managed to flee even as one of them suffered a bullet injury, police said.

More than a dozen rounds were exchanged between both sides. A bullet fired by the 22-year-old hit a constable in his bulletproof vest. A pistol and six cartridges were recovered from the arrested man. Police recovered the Creta car in which the other two men had fled but later abandoned it in Mahipalpur.

The arrested man, Jitender alias Jitu, was allegedly leading the ‘Kranti gang’ after its kingpin Rajesh Bharti and his three aides were gunned down by the police in Chhatarpur this year.

The gang is active in Haryana and bordering areas in Delhi and its members are involved in extortion, robbery, carjacking and other serious crimes, police said.

Deputy commissioner of police (special cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said Jitender was involved in more than 25 cases registered against him in Delhi and Haryana. The police had announced a ₹25,000 reward on his arrest.

“On June 9, Bharti, Sanjit Vidrohi, Umesh Don and Viku Ghevra of Kranti gang were killed while our six police personnel were injured during an exchange of fire. Arms and ammunition in large quantity were recovered from the vehicles belonging to the gangsters,” said Kushwah.

The special cell team started collecting information about other members of the Kranti gang. They learnt Jitender had taken charge of the gang along with Sonu Karkari after Bharti’s death. On Tuesday, the team received a tip-off that Jitender would come near the Dhaula Kuan Metro station in a Creta car with his associates to meet somebody.