CHANDIGARH: In what could easily be a sequence from a Bollywood masala movie chase, in an encounter with the Punjab Police in Himachal Pradesh, one criminal was killed, two others were arrested.
However, another two managed to escape.
The criminals reportedly snatched a Verna car from Navneet Kumar, a resident of Kharar, UP, on gunpoint around midnight from Kharar-Banur road.
Kumar works in a private company in Mohali and had gone with his brother-in-law to a dhaba (restaurant) to have dinner.
The criminals came in a Maruti Ritz car and reportedly told Kumar to stop the car telling him he does not know how to drive and then snatched the car from him.
The police used Kumar's phone, which was left in the car, to track the vehicle. The cops also got help from the toll plazas as the vehicle passed them on the way to Himachal.
Bilaspur Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar said, "A team of Punjab Police was chasing five gangsters, who snatched a Verna car from Mohali (Punjab). The police team chased them to Naina Devi in Himachal Pradesh. When the police team reached close to them near the PWD Rest House in the Naina Devi area and signalled the criminals to stop their vehicle, one of them fired at the police. The police retaliated and fired back. One of the criminals died in the process. The deceased was identified as Sunny Masih of Gurdaspur in Punjab. The other two arrested criminals are Amanpreet and Goldy was arrested, while the hunt is on for the remaining two. ''
Kumar said several cases had already been registered against these criminals at various places in Punjab.
The search for other two escaped criminals in going on.
Police sources said that the encounter took place at 3 AM today, during the retaliatory firing by the police team one criminal Sunny Masih was injured he was then taken back to a hospital in Anandpur Sahib in Punjab by the Punjab Police team where he succumbed to his injuries. All the accused belonged to Pathankot-based Jaggu gang.
Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh Chahal and senior police officials reached the encounter spot.