New Delhi, March 10 Two shooters wanted in the murder of a businessman in outer-north Delhi's Bawana were arrested after an exchange of fire with police in Rohini, an official said on Tuesday.
Seven people have been arrested in the case so far, they said.
The accused — Mohammad Irfan (40) and Aishwarya Pandey (37) — were apprehended during the night of March 9 and 10, they said.
The pair had been on the run for nearly a month after the killing of plastic granules trader Vaibhav Gandhi in February, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami said.
Acting on specific intelligence that the suspects would pass through the Shahbad Dairy area around midnight, a team laid a trap near Rohini Sector 34, police said.
"When the police team tried to intercept them, the suspects opened fire in an attempt to escape. The police retaliated in self-defence, leading to an exchange of fire," the DCP said.
A total of 11 rounds were fired during the encounter, including six by the accused and five by the police. One bullet also struck the bulletproof jacket of the DCP.
Both suspects sustained bullet injuries in their legs and were overpowered by the police personnel. They were taken into custody and shifted to Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini for treatment.
Police said two semi-automatic pistols, four live cartridges and six empty cartridges were recovered from their possession. A stolen motorcycle, reported missing from the Samaypur Badli area last year, and two helmets were also seized.
A fresh case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act has been registered at Shahbad Dairy police station in connection with the firing on the police team, the DCP said.
According to police, Irfan has an extensive criminal history with around 40 cases registered against him, including charges of attempt to murder, robbery, dacoity, theft and snatching — 32 of them in Delhi and eight in Uttar Pradesh. He is also a Bad Character of Chand Bagh.
Pandey has been involved in five criminal cases, including attempt to murder, theft and violations of the Arms Act, police added.
Vaibhav Gandhi, 35, was shot dead on February 9 outside his factory in Sector 4 of the DSIIDC Industrial Area in Bawana. Police said the assailants approached his car, opened fire at him and fled with bags containing his laptop, phone and documents.
Gandhi was taken to Maharishi Valmiki Hospital, where he was declared dead. Around Rs 1 crore in cash was later found inside his vehicle.
Investigators earlier said the murder was linked to a robbery conspiracy after one of the accused tipped off the gang about the availability of cash with the businessman.
Five accused — Sanjay alias Tau, Ravinder alias Ravi, Sandeep alias Pujari, Harish Kumar alias Sonu and Arun alias Pagal — had already been arrested in the case last month.