KOCHI: In a scene straight out of the movies, three bullet rounds were fired at a police team that had travelled to Rajasthan’s Ajmer in pursuit of suspects involved in robberies in Ernakulam district on Tuesday night.
Though members of the Ernakulam Rural police team were unhurt in the attack, an ACP of Rajasthan police sustained minor injuries. Two men from Rampur, in Uttarakhand, were arrested following the encounter.
Danish, 23, and Sahjad, 33, were involved in two burglaries at the home of Muhammed Ali in Kuttumassery, on February 9 and at the Power House Junction residence of Babu Ouseph -- all in Aluva -- on February 10. Around 18 sovereign in gold ornaments and `13,000 in cash went missing from Muhammed’s house, while 20 sovereigns in jewellery and `20,000 were stolen from Babu’s.
The investigation by Aluva police revealed that both thefts were carried out by the same gang. Further examination of CCTV footage showed that the duo had stolen a motorcycle from the Perumbavoor area before breaking into the houses in Aluva. After tracking the tower location of the suspects’ phone numbers -- which were identified using tower-dumping technology -- police traced them to Madhya Pradesh.
Ernakulam Rural police chief Vaibhav Saxena constituted a special team led by sub inspector Sreelal S S, and comprising civil officers Muhammad Ameer, N A Afsal, V A Mahinsha Aboobacker and Manoj K M. The team left for Madhya Pradesh on February 18.
“After reaching Madhya Pradesh in their car, both suspects made their way to Ajmer. They did not confine themselves to certain states, and had pan-India operations. After carrying out the thefts in Aluva, they travelled to Bihar and Madhya Pradesh before landing in Ajmer with a new plan,” an officer said.
On Tuesday evening, the police team from Kerala reached Ajmer and met Rajasthan police ACP Swarna Kamble. They together formulated a plan to nab Danish and Sahjad.
“After tracking their live location, we realised that the suspects were near the Sharif Dargah. The joint team carried out a search and located them near the dargah. The duo made a dash for it on realising they had been cornered. In the meantime, one of them pulled out a pistol and fired three rounds, injuring the ACP. Despite coming under fire, the team continued the chase, which went on for over half an hour, before the duo were nabbed from a market near the dargah. Despite some resistance, they were subdued and taken to a nearby police station,” an officer said.
ACP Kamble was given preliminary medical aid. Rajasthan Police registered a case against the duo for attempted murder under the Arms Act. A pistol, seven cartridges, a magazine and two screwdrivers were recovered from the two. “They were carrying an unlicensed pistol. It was their modus operandi during operations to point the pistol at anyone who intervenes, before making their escape,” an officer said.