A constable in the Delhi Police Special Cell died of a bullet injury when he lost balance and his AK-47 rifle accidentally went off during an operation to nab a wanted criminal in outer Delhi’s Rohini area on Wednesday.
The constable, Anand Khatri (32), was posted in the Southwest cell of Special Cell unit around three months ago. During the operation, the bullet hit his chin, said a police officer.
“It was a case of accidental firing. The constable was rushed to a hospital but his life could not be saved,” Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep said.
According to police, the incident took place around 5.30 am, when a Special Cell team went to a single-storey building in Rohini’s Sector 21, following a tip-off that a wanted criminal, Ashok alias Sonu, and his associates were hiding there. Sonu (30), who is allegedly associated with Southwest Delhi-based gangster Manjit Mahal and history-sheeter Ravinder Bholu, was wanted in connection with nine criminal cases — including murder, extortion and robberies — across Delhi-NCR and the Delhi Police had announced an reward of Rs20,000 on his arrest.
Sonu was being tracked for around the past two months by a team led by two inspectors Tilak Chand Bisht and Rajesh under the supervision of ACP (Special Cell) Sandeep Byala.
The raid to nab Sonu was conducted by a Special Cell team, with the help of local police from the Begumpur police station. Once the team reached the single-storey house in which Sonu had holed up, they realised that he was hiding on the terrace, while his associates had fled, police said.
The local police was asked to surround the entire house and officials of the Special Cell team, including Khatri, climbed the terrace, said police.
Sonu was nabbed from there and as the police team was in the process of bringing him down from the terrace, which had no permanent stairs, Khatri lost his balance and fell, police said.
“In such encounters, the guns are always cocked to ensure spontaneity. It was by the impact of the fall that the AK-47 went off and the bullet hit him,” a senior police officer said. By the time the other team members heard the gun fire and looked towards Khatri, they saw him falling down from the terrace. Khatri was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where he was declared brought dead, the official said.
When a crime team was sent to the spot to collect evidences in connection with the case, blood stains were found in the terrace, said the official. From preliminary investigation, it seems that Khatri tripped over while he was supervising his teammates who were getting Sonu down the terrace. He fell from the terrace after receiving the bullet injury, the official said.
“Anand Khatri had joined the police in 2007and had undergone commando course. He had also played a pivotal role in the recent operations due to his extraordinary skills and valour,” Special CP Arvind Deep said.
Khatri’s body was sent for postmortem and his family was informed, police said. Khatri played an active role in tracking down Sonu, a dreaded criminal, who had attacked a police constable while being chased in May 2015.
While Sonu is being interrogated, efforts to arrest his associates — identified as Pradeep Solanki, Pradeep alias Tota and Manjeet Mahal are in progress, Deep added.