NEW DELHI: Five members of a gang, who were returning from Uttar Pradesh after procuring illegal arms, managed to give police the slip following a shootout in the national capital on Thursday, police said.
According to the police, the incident occurred at around 4.00 p.m when the five criminals were returning from Mathura to Sangam Vihar in south Delhi after procuring the arms.
"We had a tip-off that a gang of criminals active in south Delhi was returning after buying arms in a black colour SUV. They are said to be preparing to eliminate their rivals and commit some major crimes in the area," Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Deo said.
"Police teams had barricaded all possible passages to nab the criminals. The SUV was spotted at Ekant Marg near Karni Singh shooting range and was signalled to stop. But the driver broke the barricades and tried to run over the police personnel," he said.
As the criminals were given a chase, they entered residential Sangam Vihar and then fled in different directions on foot.
"The gang has been involved in extortion and other serious crimes. Five pistols have been recovered from the SUV," Deo added.