Four notorious criminals, including a wanted gangster with a bounty of Rs 1 lakh, were killed in a late-night encounter with the Special Task Force (STF) of Meerut on Monday. The shootout occurred near the Udpur brick kiln in the Jhinjhana area of Shamli district after the STF intercepted the suspects’ vehicle while acting on a tip-off about an impending robbery.
When the STF team attempted to stop a Brezza car, the occupants allegedly opened fire, leading to a fierce exchange of gunfire. Arshad, a member of the Mukim and Mustafa alias Kagga gang from Gangoh, Saharanpur, sustained bullet injuries and died on the spot. He was wanted in multiple cases of robbery and murder in Shamli, Saharanpur, and Panipat in Haryana.
Three of his associates, Manjeet from Sonipat, Satish from Madhuban in Haryana, and another unidentified man, also succumbed to injuries in the encounter.
Inspector Sunil Kumar was injured in the exchange of fire and has been admitted to a hospital in Gurugram. His condition is reported to be stable.
Police recovered pistols and country-made firearms from the scene. Investigations revealed that Manjeet, who had been serving a life sentence, was out on parole and had resumed criminal activities. The gang was reportedly planning a major robbery in the Jhinjhana area when they were intercepted by the STF.
Senior police officials, including DIG Ajay Sahni and Shamli SP Ramsevak Gautam, visited the site of the encounter and are supervising the ongoing investigation.
