Investigations by police have revealed that the criminals, who fired at the constables in Shankar Market area on Saturday night, were hired killers who had come to Delhi to intimidate some witnesses who were to depose before a city court in a day or so.
The Delhi Police, however, refused to comment on this and stated that the probe is on. The police are also probing if the accused persons were hired for any contract killing in the Capital.
The criminal arrested from the spot has been identified as Rizwan (50). Two of his associates, who managed to flee, have also been identified and efforts are on to nab them.
Rizwan is a bad character in Moradabad area and involved in over 20 cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery, arms act and dacoity. A .32 bore revolver, three live rounds, five SIM cards, paper cuttings of firing and other crime incidents of Moradabad and a diary containing numbers of various criminals was recovered from him.
Sources claimed that Rizwan is a close associate of a drug peddler in Shankar Market area and the said peddler had called him to the Capital to threaten some witnesses from Bijnor who were to depose in a case at a city court.
Apparently a kidnapping case is pending against Ashu Pehlwan who is also a close associate of the peddler. Sunil Behari another criminal is a rival of Pehlwan.
Behari and Pehelwan are known criminals in Minto Bridge area and have cases pending against them.
Rizwan hatched a plan to implicate Sunil Behari in a heinous case and his plan was to injure one of their associates and then name Sunil. His plan went for a toss after the cops confronted him.
Rizwan was produced before the court and remanded in three-day police custody. The Moradabad police have reached the Capital and have joined the investigations.
“Efforts are on to nab the other culprits,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) SBS Tyagi.