Delhi: Sharpshooter affiliated with gang arrested after encounter

New Delhi, Sep 12 (PTI) A sharpshooter allegedly affiliated with the Rohit Godara-Virendra Charan gang, who was instructed to carry out a shootout at a commercial establishment, was arrested following an encounter near Delhi's Azadpur Mandi, police said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Ankit (23), a resident of Tosham in Haryana's Bhiwani district, was apprehended in the intervening night of September 10 and 11 after he opened fire on a police team during an operation, police added.

According to officials, two handwritten slips, bearing the names of Rohit Godara and Virendra Charan, were also seized. Ankit was allegedly instructed to leave these slips at a commercial establishment in Delhi following the intended shootout.

"The team was acting on inputs that the gang was planning to deploy shooters to fire at commercial establishments in Delhi-NCR as part of an extortion racket," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Krishan Kumar said.

Intelligence had been received about gang members heading towards Azadpur to execute a shootout. A trap was set, and when Ankit, riding a motorcycle with an associate, was intercepted, he fired three rounds at the police team, the DCP stated.

One bullet struck a police officer, but he was unharmed due to his bulletproof vest. In response, the police returned fire, managing to subdue Ankit. He sustained a gunshot wound to his left leg during the encounter, while one police officer sustained a head injury while grappling with him. Both were rushed to the hospital for treatment, the DCP mentioned further.

Recovered from Ankit were a sophisticated pistol, three live cartridges, a mobile phone, and the motorcycle used in the crime, police stated.

According to the police, Ankit is a class 9 dropout who came in contact with anti-social elements during his school years and gradually became part of local gangs in Bhiwani. He later joined the Rohit Godara gang and worked as a sharpshooter in its extortion operations.

Ankit had been arrested previously in 2022 in Bhiwani for a similar offence and is also linked to other criminal cases registered in Haryana, police said.

A case under relevant provisions of law has been registered at the Special Cell police station, and further investigation is underway, officials added. PTI SSJ MPL MPL