Two held for attacking cop in Delhi park; looted service pistol recovered

Two men accused of attacking a Delhi Police head constable and snatching his service pistol in Safdarjung area earlier this month have been arrested, an official said on Tuesday.

The main accused, Avinash alias Janu (30), was held from Tundla area of Firozabad district in Uttar Pradesh following a brief encounter, while his associate Waseem (30) was later arrested from south Delhi, he said.

On January 23, Avinash was spotted riding a scooter near the old bypass road in Tundla. When signalled to stop, he allegedly tried to flee and opened fire at the police team after being surrounded, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said.

In retaliatory firing, the accused sustained a bullet injury on his knees before being overpowered, police said, adding that two officers were saved by their bulletproof jackets.

The looted 9 mm government-issued pistol, three spent cartridges, a scooter and a mobile phone were recovered from his possession, they said.

Based on his disclosure, co-accused Waseem, a resident of south Delhi’s Swami Nagar, was later apprehended.

The incident took place on January 22 around 2.20 pm when Head Constable Rajkumar, posted as a beat officer, was on patrol duty and received information about two suspicious persons at a park in Safdarjung area, police said. When he reached the spot and questioned them, the duo allegedly attacked him.

One of them overpowered the officer, while the other snatched his service pistol and fired at him before fleeing, they said, adding that the head constable escaped unhurt.

A case was registered at Safdarjung Enclave police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act, and multiple teams were formed to trace the accused.

Police said footage from around 500 CCTV cameras in Safdarjung Enclave, Hauz Khas, Malviya Nagar and Mehrauli areas were analysed, besides deploying technical surveillance and local intelligence.

During investigation, one suspect was identified as Avinash, a resident of Savitri Nagar, who also stayed in Chhatarpur. Electronic surveillance indicated his movement towards Tundla in Uttar Pradesh, following which a joint team of the Southwest District police and Tundla police conducted raids, apprehending the accused.

Further investigation is underway, police added.