Police nab 8 crime suspects in 48 hours after series of encounters in Noida

Noida: The Noida Police nabbed eight criminal suspects within 48 hours after a series of encounters in which seven of them suffered gunshot injuries, according to officials.

Among those held is a Delhi-based robber who has over two dozen criminal cases registered against him at various police stations in the National Capital Region and two members of the ‘Thak-Thak’ gang, the officials said.

The first of the four encounters took place on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday during a routine police check at Sector-96 junction, under Sector-39 police station limits, a police spokesperson said.

“The police signalled three individuals who were on a motorcycle to stop for inquiry. The suspects attempted to flee towards the Hajipur underpass. A chase ensued, during which the suspects fired at the police near Sikka Mall on the service road,” the spokesperson said.

“In the retaliatory action by the police, two suspects, Arun (a native of Kheria Tappal, Hathras) and Gaurav (from Meet Nagar in Delhi), were shot in the legs and apprehended while the third suspect, who fled the spot, was nabbed later during a combing operation,” the official said.

The police said they recovered Rs 1 lakh cash, a motorcycle without number plate and two illegal firearms along with some ammunition from the trio.

The second gunfight occurred late Thursday night, when Phase-1 police station personnel were conducting checks near the Gol Chakkar Chowki on the road leading to Sector-15A when they came face to face with a suspect.

“Accused Rishabh Dayal, a resident of Mayur Vihar in Delhi’s Phase-3 area, fired at the police but was shot in the leg in the ensuing gunfight and apprehended. Rishabh was taken to a hospital for treatment. His extensive criminal history includes multiple cases of robbery, theft, and possession of illegal arms across Noida and Ghaziabad,” the official said.

A .315 bore country-made pistol with one live cartridge, three mobile phones were seized from his possession and his scooter impounded, according to the police.

The third gunfight took place near Roza Yakubpur in Bisrakh police station area in the early hours of Friday, when during a routine check, the local police signalled two individuals on a motorcycle to stop for inquiry.

“The suspects attempted to escape towards Roza Yakubpur, leading to a chase. The motorcycle slipped due to poor road conditions, and the suspects, Deepak alias Bunty and Ravi Kumar tried to flee on foot while firing at the police. In retaliatory action, both were shot in the legs and arrested, the police spokesperson said.

The police said they seized two .315 bore country-made pistols with ammunition, Rs 18,850 cash from the duo and impounded their motorcycle.

The fourth gunfight took place late Friday night during a police check near the Gulshan Mall in Expressway police station area when two men who were on a motorcycle were signalled to stop for inquiry but they sped away, a senior officer said.

“When chased by the police, the duo opened fire on the police team but got shot at in retaliatory firing from the police party. Those injured have been identified as Delhi native Deepak and Hapur native Tarun, both active members of the Thak Thak gang,” Additional DCP (Noida) Manish Mishra said.

Deepak has over 150 cases lodged against him while Tarun also has criminal background, as per initial information received about them, Mishra said.

He said two pistols along with some ammunition were seized from their possession, among other items that include slingshots and metal balls used by them to break windows of cars for thefts.

Police said all the injured suspects were taken to hospitals for treatment and further legal proceedings were initiated against them.