Wanted criminal, associates arrested after encounter with police in Gurugram

Gurugram, Jun 25 (PTI) A wanted criminal, Kaushal Joniyawas, allegedly involved in the kidnapping and murder of a labour contractor, was caught by the police after a brief encounter in which he was shot in the leg, officials said on Wednesday.

Before the encounter, Joniyawas and his accomplices allegedly tried to rob a truck on the highway, however, the police arrested five of his associates across various areas.

According to the police, they allegedly received a tip-off indicating that Joniyawas was planning to rob a truck on the highway, with his associates positioned in different areas around Manesar. Consequently, two accomplices, identified as Anil alias Monu and Varun, were arrested in Daulatabad.

A special crime branch team set a trap to nab Joniyawas, who was located near Kasan village, along with his accomplice Ombir.

During the raid, Joniyawas allegedly tried to flee and fired at the police. In response, the police returned fire, and a bullet struck Joniyawas in the leg, leading to his capture along with Ombir. Joniyawas was admitted to Sector-10 Civil Hospital after he was injured in the encounter. Police said his condition is said to be stable.

During interrogation, Joniyawas allegedly revealed the names of the others involved, prompting the police to arrest Archit alias Dheeraj and Ranjit alias Gaurav from the nearby village of Heraheri.

"Kaushal Joniyawas had been a headache for the police in Gurugram and surrounding areas for a long time. He has been involved in many serious crimes like kidnapping, murder and ransom. We have arrested his five accomplices as well and are questioning them, " said Sub-Inspector Lalit Kumar, in-charge of the crime branch, Manesar.

"We will be questioning him after his discharge from the hospital so that his criminal network and other possible associates can be traced," the SI added. PTI COR MPL MPL