Even as Indians across the country prepared to ring in the New Year with parties and fanfare, Delhi Police seluths risked their lives to nab a wanted gangster in Mathura amid a hail of bullets on Thursday evening.

Inam Khan, the ring leader of the notorious “Gang of Ten” who had a bounty of `1 lakh on his head, was arrested after a Delhi Police team cornered him in Hathiya Village of Mathura district.

Men of the Special Cell had to open fire after the gangster and his accomplices in the village began shooting at the Delhi Police team.

The exchange of fire from both the sides lasted for over 40 minutes and some 50 bullets were fired before the outlaw could be arrested.

Khan, a resident of Mewat region in Haryana, was the mastermind behind a gang of criminals who specialised in kidnapping and extortion.

With Khan’s arrest, the total number of gang members nabbed by the Delhi Police has gone up to nine and just one member, Hassan is still at large.

The 30-year-old criminal was wanted by Delhi Police in a sensational kidnapping of a Gujarat-based businessman  dealing in metal and scrap trading and his employees who had come to the national Capital on business in February.

The Crime Branch had already arrested eight members of the gang between February and May of 2015 for kidnapping, extortion and other offences such as dacoity and robbery in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR). A senior Delhi Police officer said the gangster was arrested from a village near Mathura following a gun-battle between the Delhi Police team and villagers. However, nobody was injured in the shootout which began 15 minutes before 5 pm  and ended around 5.20 pm.

Special Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, Arvind Deep said that teams of Special Cell raided Hathiya Village on  specific information about the movement of the wanted criminal. After the police team apprehended Khan it was attacked by the villagers while trying to leave the village with him. The police team retaliated in self defence and 50 rounds were fired. Mathura Police too joined the game and helped the Delhi Police team leave the village safely with the criminal, Deep added.

The gang had kidnapped the businessman from New Delhi railway station area of Central Delhi. The businessman and his employees were confined to a house in Palwal district of Haryana and they demanded a ransom of `1 crore for their safe release.

The gangsters had carried out a detailed recce of the businessman’s movements and they conned him into believing that they were big time scrap dealers. Crime Branch team that was tasked to rescue the victim had then arrested one Javed of the gang when he turned to take the ransom amount from a designated place in Chandni Chowk area of walled city. The victims were rescued safely from a car in which Javed had arrived with his accomplices, who managed to escape.

The police teams were put on the job to arrest Inam as he was at large. With his arrest, the notorious ‘Gang of Ten’ has been fully brought under control, said a police officer.