Police arrest two sharpshooters of Lawrence Bishnoi gang
Delhi Police arrested two alleged sharpshooters of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang after an early-morning encounter in north Delhi’s Burari area on Thursday. The police have also recovered two automatic pistols and ammunition from the shooters. Police said that the duo carried out the two firing incidents on the night of January 12-13 at the direction of their handlers.
The first attack targeted the RK Fitness gym in Paschim Vihar (East). The second involved firing outside a businessman’s house in West Vinod Nagar, where an extortion demand of Rs 5 crore had allegedly been made in the name of the Bishnoi gang. According to police, one of the suspects suffered a bullet injury to his right foot during the exchange of fire.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said the arrests capped a focused operation launched after a spate of extortion-related shootings. “Our teams acted on specific intelligence and intercepted the suspects. When one of them opened fire at the police party, we retaliated in self-defence,” the DCP said. He added that the injured accused was taken to the hospital, and both were later arrested.
Police identified the injured suspect as Deepak, 19, a resident of Loni in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The second accused is a child in conflict with the law (CCL). Both are school dropouts and were allegedly in direct touch with overseas handlers linked to the Bishnoi gang through encrypted messaging platforms.
According to police, the Anti-Narcotics Cell of North District received a tip-off late Wednesday that two gang members, allegedly involved in two “sensational” firing cases for extortion registered earlier this week, would pass through Burari carrying firearms that night.
A police team laid a trap on Pushta Nala Road near Hiranki at around 1.25 am on Thursday, after receiving the tip-off. As the suspects approached on a scooter, officers signalled them to stop. The pillion rider allegedly fired two shots at the police team, one hitting a constable’s bulletproof jacket.
Police returned fire, injuring the pillion rider’s foot. The rider tried to escape but was caught. Both were immediately arrested at the spot. Police recovered two automatic pistols, two live cartridges, and two fired cartridges.
