Delhi: Gangster Rajesh Bharti, three associates shot dead by police in Chhatarpur
NEW DELHI: Gangster Rajesh Bharti and three of his associates were killed today while eight police personnel were injured in a major encounter in south Delhi's Chhatarpur area, police said here.
More than 100 rounds were fired by the gang members and the Delhi police's Special Cell in the shoot-out, they said.
The deceased were identified as the gang's kingpin Rajesh Bharti, Sanjeev alias Sandeep Vidroh, Umesh alias Don and Viresh Rana alias Bhiku.
One of the criminals, who was injured, was identified as Kapil.
Haryana and Delhi police had announced a reward of Rs one lakh on Bharti head, PS Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said.
Rajesh Bharti and Vidroh had escaped from the custody of Haryana Police around one-and-a-half years ago.
Bharti's gang was also referred to as Kranti Gang.
Earlier, the gang members were mostly active in Haryana, but in the last one year, they had been carrying out crimes in Delhi.
The Special Cell had been tracking the gang for the last six-seven months.
Today, the team learnt that they would be coming to Chandan Hola village in Chhatarpur and a police team of the Special cell's Northern Range, comprising 30 police personnel, was stationed on the route they were expected to take while leaving from a farmhouse, where they had assembled.
The Special Cell's Northern Range team was supervised by Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell).
"Our team had been tracking the gang and had been carrying out raids at their hideouts. The gang members were involved in extortion activities and contract killings in the national capital," Yadav said The gang members, numbering around eight, were spotted coming from a farmhouse in two cars- a Ford Endeavour, bearing a Haryana registration number, and a Hyundai i-20.
They were asked by the police team to surrender but they started indiscriminately firing at the police team, said the officer.
The police team retaliated and four persons were shot dead, while one sustained injuries and admitted in AIIMS Trauma Centre.
The others managed to escape.
Eight policemen - head constables Girdhar and Kuldeep, constable Gurdeep, sub-inspectors Krishan Kumar, Raj Singh and Bijender, assistant sub-inspectors Hari Chand and Jagat Singh - were injured.
Girdhar's condition is serious since he sustained bullet injuries in his neck and is currently under treatment at AIIMS Trauma Centre, said the DCP.
Gurdeep received two bullet wounds.
Krishan Kumar received two bullet wounds on his elbow and Raj Singh sustained injuries to his left arm.
Bijender was shot in his right arm.
Hari Chand was injured in the leg.
Jagat Singh and Kuldeep did not sustain bullet injuries.
Five sophisticated weapons, including two .30 bore Star pistols, and several live rounds were recovered, said the officer.
The gang members had converged at a farmhouse, belonging to one Sanjeev, who is absconding.
It is still not clear whether he was accompanying the gang members at the time of the encounter.
The Ford Endeavour car seized belonged to him.
Police recovered 40 fake numberplates from the Hyundai i-20 car.
The police are yet to establish its ownership.
In the last one month, the gang had committed criminal activities in south Delhi, including robbing two Fortuner SUVs from Vasant Kunj area on May 18 and 19.
In July last year, they had killed a man in Dwarka and thrown pamphlets claiming that they are members of Rajesh Bharti gang.
Vidroh was wanted in connection with that case.
He and Umesh too had a reward on their head.