New Delhi: In the early hours of Sunday, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was arrested after an exchange of fire with Delhi police near Qutub Minar metro station. The accused, Neeraj alias Katiya, 30, is a resident of Jhajjar district of Haryana.
According to news agency PTI, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Alok Kumar said the police received information that absconding accused Neeraj would come near Qutub Minar metro station between 2 am and 3 am on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.
The police set up a trap near the spot, the accused, who travelled in an autorickshaw was surrounded as soon as he stepped out of the three-wheeler, Kumar told PTI. When Neeraj was signalled to stop he whipped out his pistol and fired at the police team. In an act of self-defence, the police fired back.
"He was signalled to stop but the accused whipped out his pistol and fired two rounds towards the police team. The team also fired two rounds in self-defence. Finally, Neeraj was overpowered and disarmed by the team," Kumar said, as quoted by PTI
A semi-automatic pistol and two live cartridges were recovered from his possession and four empty cartridges found at the spot were seized.
Neeraj was involved in more than 25 criminal cases, including those of murder, attempt to murder, extortion, robbery, kidnapping, hurt, assault, threatening and theft etc. in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan, the police informed.
Last month, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) launched searches at more than 70 locations across several states in a major crackdown against gangster syndicates.
The agency also conducted searches at the premises of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's close aide Kulwinder in Gandhidham. ANI reported citing sources that Kulwinder has been a longtime associate of Bishnoi. He was accused of providing shelter to the people of the Bishnoi gang.