Two armed men held after gunfight with police in Delhi’s Paharganj

Delhi: Police have arrested two alleged armed criminals after a brief gunfight in which seven rounds were fired in the Paharganj area here, and the suspects sustained bullet injuries to their legs, officials said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Akash alias Matthi (27) and Mukesh alias Chinu (35) were taken to a hospital.

According to police, the accused fired four rounds at the police team on Monday on the stretch from Chemsford Road towards Reservation Road in Paharganj.

“Three rounds were fired in retaliation by the police team. One bullet passed close to the head of head constable Mohit, while another hit the bulletproof jacket of head constable Rajvir,” a senior police officer said.

Two illegal firearms — a pistol and a country-made pistol, each loaded with two live cartridges — and a stolen motorcycle were recovered from them. Police found the motorcycle stolen in a case registered at Subzi Mandi police station on August 31.

“Teams from the Special Staff and Central had been working to identify those involved in a firing incident during a Baba Ramdev Ji procession in the Nabi Karim-Sadar Bazar area on September 13. During the incident, members of the alleged Vikas Kalia group opened fire near Ram Kumar Marg, with one bullet hitting a person in the left hand,” the officer said.

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Sadar Bazar police station registered a case on September 15. During the investigation, technical surveillance and field-level efforts established the alleged involvement of Akash and Mukesh, both members of the Vikas Kalia group, police said.

On September 28, police received information that the duo would arrive in Paharganj on a stolen motorcycle carrying weapons and allegedly intending to eliminate their rivals. Akash, a historysheeter of the Nabi Karim area, has 13 previous cases registered against him, including those related to robbery, snatching, theft and the Arms Act, police said.

Mukesh, also a historysheeter of the area, has seven previous cases, including attempted murder, culpable homicide, robbery, snatching and theft. Police said the arrests also helped work out four cases — one firing case, two house thefts and a motorcycle theft.  Police said further investigation is underway.