PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
Two burglars, against whom 24 criminal cases are registered, including two times under the Gangsters Act, were injured in an encounter with the Dehradun police in the Patelnagar area late on Saturday night, officials said. The two accused, both residents of Haridwar, allegedly opened fire at a police team during a checking drive. One bullet hit the vehicle of the Patelnagar police station in-charge. The police returned fire, injuring both men in their legs. Two country made pistols and a motorcycle fitted with a fake number plate were recovered from the spot.
The superintendent of police (City) Shekhar Suyal said that the two men, identified as Shamim (35) and Shehzad (40), had come to Dehradun to commit thefts and were conducting reconnaissance of locked houses in Patelnagar and nearby areas. The police had received information that suspects involved in recent theft and housebreaking incidents in Patelnagar and Vikasnagar were planning further crimes.
During a checking drive near Ramgarh petrol pump in Nayagaon, the police signalled a suspicious motorcycle to stop. However, the riders allegedly tried to escape and opened fire while being chased. A bullet damaged the windscreen of a police vehicle. Their motorcycle later lost control on an unpaved road, forcing them to abandon it and run towards a forest. They allegedly fired at the police again, following which the police retaliated.
The police recovered two .315-bore country made pistols, four live cartridges, six empty cartridges and a motorcycle with a fake number plate. According to the police records, 15 cases are registered against Shamim and nine against Shehzad, including cases under the Gangsters Act. A case under the BNS and Arms Act has also been registered against them for allegedly firing at the police team.
