New Delhi: At least 10 encounters were reported across the city this month, resulting in the arrest of over a dozen criminals and the death of five, including four members of a Bihar-based gang, police said.
During the operations, bulletproof jackets came to the rescue of several policemen.
“Sustained crackdown reflects the police’s ongoing strategy to target organised crime networks and habitual offenders active in the capital and neighbouring states. In many cases, these criminals had a history of using firearms or displaying them on social media to intimidate rivals,” a police officer said.
On October 2, two members of the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar-Virender Charan gang, allegedly contracted to kill a social media influencer, were arrested after a gunfight on Jaitpur-Kalindi Kunj Road. The accused, identified as Rahul and Sahil from Haryana, were acting on directions from foreign-based gangster Rohit Godara, police claimed. Rahul, wanted in a triple murder case in Yamunanagar, was injured in the exchange, police said.
A day later, on October 3, two more gangsters linked to the same syndicate were apprehended after an encounter in Kapashera.
Identified as Akash Rajput and Mahipal from Rajasthan, they were wanted in several extortion and kidnapping cases across three states. Rajput, who carried a cash reward of Rs 20,000, was shot in the leg before being arrested. Police said the duo worked with gangster Daler Kotia and were connected to Godara’s network.
On October 7, a joint operation by Delhi and Gurugram police ended with the killing of a Nepal-based criminal, Bhim Mahabahadur Jora, near Astha Kunj Park in southeast Delhi. Jora, wanted in the murder of a Jangpura doctor in May 2024 and several other heinous crimes, opened fire on the police team before being shot dead.
In another encounter on October 9, police in Rohini arrested Hamza, a man wanted for a murder in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut. Hamza had filmed the killing of his friend Adil and uploaded it on social media. He opened fire on the police team before being shot in the leg and captured.
On October 10, a wanted criminal identified as Aftab Alam alias Atti was injured after an encounter in Narela Industrial Area. The accused fired twice at police before being shot in the leg and overpowered. He was found involved in several cases of robbery, snatching and murder, police said.
Twelve days later, on October 22, another wanted criminal, Ritik alias Dancer, was caught after a gunfight in Dwarka. Ritik, accused in a murder case in Uttam Nagar, tried to shoot at police when they attempted to intercept him. He was shot in the leg, while Inspector Subhash Chand suffered a bullet injury in his arm. Firearms and cartridges were recovered from the spot.
In one of the biggest encounters in recent years, four Bihar-based gangsters were gunned down in Rohini on October 23. The accused -- Ranjan Pathak, Bimlesh Mahto, Manish Pathak and Aman Thakur -- were part of the Sigma Gang and wanted for multiple murders in Bihar.
Acting on Bihar Police’s inputs, a joint team of Delhi and Bihar police intercepted them around 2.20 am. The accused opened fire, and all four were killed in retaliatory firing. Police sources claimed they were planning to execute more crimes ahead of the Bihar assembly polls.
Delhi witnessed four police encounters between October 25 and 27, leading to the arrest of five criminals and two arms suppliers, several injured during exchanges.