New Delhi, March 24 A man wanted in an 85 lakh armed robbery case in Shastri Park and linked to a previous murder case was arrested after a brief exchange of fire in central Delhi's IP Estate area, police said on Tuesday.
Ajay alias Kaliya (34), a resident of Usmanpur, allegedly led a small gang of four to five criminals and was the main conspirator in the robbery case, they said.
Acting on specific inputs received around 10 pm on March 23, police laid a trap near the Rose Garden service road on MG Road, where the accused was expected to arrive around midnight on a scooter to meet associates and possibly commit another crime.
At around 12.22 am, he was spotted approaching the spot on a grey scooter. When signaled to stop, he attempted to flee but was cornered by the police team, a senior police officer said.
"Upon being surrounded, the accused abandoned his scooter and opened fire at the police team with the intent to kill, firing multiple rounds," a senior officer said. One of the bullets struck the bulletproof jacket of an inspector, narrowly averting injury.
Police retaliated in self-defence, firing at the accused's legs, after which he was overpowered and apprehended. He sustained a gunshot injury in the leg and was shifted to LNJP Hospital for treatment under police supervision.
An illegal pistol, live cartridges, and empty shells were recovered from his possession. The scooter used by him was found to be stolen from the Malviya Nagar area, police said, adding that a mobile phone was also seized.
Police said Ajay is a habitual offender involved in multiple cases of robbery, murder, theft, and violations of the Arms Act in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
A fresh case has been registered at the IP Estate police station under relevant sections of the BNS and Arms Act, and efforts are underway to trace his associates and establish his involvement in other cases, they added.
