Continuing its crackdown on hardcore criminals, the police gunned down two fugitives carrying rewards of on lakh rupees and Rs 25,000, respectively, for their arrest in Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida) and Saharanpur.
In Noida, wanted criminal Shrawan Chaudhary, who was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh for his arrest, was gunned down while his aide managed to escape during an encounter with the police in Phase III police station area on Sunday morning. In the exchange of fire, Crime Branch Inspector Balwan Singh and constables Satyaveer and Sanjeev sustained gunshot injuries.
The police recovered an AK-47 rifle, a rifle, a car and a huge cache of cartridges and shells. The police said that Chaudhary was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
In Saharanpur, notorious gangster Ehsan aka Salim, carrying a cash reward of Rs 25,000 for his arrest, was killed in a shoot-out with the police.
Sub-inspector of Mandi police station, Sachin Sharma, was also injured in the shoot-out.
The police claimed that Ehsan had robbed a farmer of one lakh rupees and his motorcycle in Manoharpur village in Sarsawa police station area and was moving to another location when he was asked to stop near Chilkana.
But Ehsan and his aide reportedly fired at the police party.
The police returned the fire, killing Ehsan while his aide managed to escape in the darkness. The police recovered the looted money and the motorcycle of Manoharpur farmer Nawab besides a pistol and several rounds of cartridges.
Meanwhile in Vijay Nagar police station area of Ghaziabad, history-sheeter Sunder (35) carrying a reward of Rs 25,000 was arrested after an encounter with the police near Akbarpur Bahrampur on National Highway-24 around 8:15 pm on Saturday.
A native of Pilkhuwa town, Sunder was wanted in five cases of attempt to murder, killing and robbery. He was asked by police to stop near Bahrampur but he opened fire inviting retaliation.
Sunder was shot in his right leg while Vijay Nagar SHO Naresh Kumar was also injured in the exchange of fire.
Both the cop and the criminal are being treated at a hospital.
A country-made pistol, knife and a few live cartridges were seized from Sunder.