NEW DELHI: Two criminals carrying rewards of Rs 50,000 each and wanted in a sensational kidnapping-murder case in Ghaziabad were arrested after an exchange of fire with the Delhi Police in south Delhi, an official said on Friday.
The accused, Saurabh alias Bhola alias Prince (25) and Gopal (23), both residents of Loni in Ghaziabad, sustained bullet injuries to their legs during the encounter near Aurobindo College in Malviya Nagar in the early hours of Thursday, police said.
They were admitted to the hospital under police security. Police said the two were wanted in separate cases relating to the alleged kidnapping and murder of a man in Ghaziabad and had been evading arrest for two weeks.
According to the Crime Branch, specific intelligence was received that the duo had entered Delhi and were allegedly planning to carry out a murder over an old rivalry. Acting on the input, police laid a trap near Aurobindo College.
“At 2 am, police spotted the suspects riding a motorcycle and signalled them to stop. Instead, they allegedly attempted to flee and opened fire on the police team using sophisticated semi-automatic pistols,” police said.
Saurabh allegedly fired four rounds from a .32-bore Beretta semi-automatic pistol made in Italy, while Gopal allegedly fired two rounds from a .30-bore semi-automatic pistol. The police retaliated. A case has been registered under the BNS and the Arms Act.