NEW DELHI: In a daring act of bravery, two Delhi Traffic Police personnel foiled an armed robbery attempt and apprehended two snatchers even after one of them was fired upon, an official said.
The incident occurred on Monday when Sub-Inspector Sanjeev and Constable Rahul Nain from Shahdara Traffic Circle showed courage in tackling the two armed snatchers fleeing after committing a crime, a police officer said.
“The accused -- Imran (26), a resident of Ghaziabad and Warees (35) of Delhi’s Seemapuri -- had snatched a gold chain from a local resident, Praveen Soni, near Chetak Complex in Dilshad Garden,” Additional CP (Traffic) Monika Bharadwaj, during a press conference, said.
They attempted to flee on a high-power motorcycle towards Chintamani Chowk. It was when a local resident, Shiva Thakur, witnessed the robbery and alerted the traffic staff stationed at Chintamani Red Light, she said.
Responding swiftly, SI Sanjeev and Constable Nain tried to intercept the suspects. As the robbers refused to stop, the constable kicked the motorcycle, causing it to topple, she said. In a desperate bid to escape, Imran opened fire at the SI. Despite the imminent danger, the SI managed to overpower and arrest him, she said.
Meanwhile, Warees also attempted to shoot but was quickly tackled and disarmed by Rahul. Sanjeev sustained minor injuries during the melee, she said.
SI Sanjeev said, “One of them shouted ‘goli maar de inhe’ (shoot them).”
“I was not thinking about anything when he shot at me. At that time, there was no fear in my mind… so I overpowered one and Nain caught hold of the other,” the officer said.
The SI, who had earlier posted at the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch, said that training and experience at the branch helped him.
Constable Nain said, “It was our first duty to respond after a local alerted us about the snatching. When I first saw the motorcycle, I immediately kicked the bike as they were trying to run away.”
“Due to my immediate action, the biker lost his balance and fell on the road. Then my senior responded and tried to overpower one of the accused,” he stated.
The Additional CP added that while checking the accused, two pistols and ten live bullets -- six from Imran and four from Warees were recovered. “The three stolen gold chains and the motorcycle used in the crime were also seized. Preliminary investigation revealed that Warees has a criminal history involving more than 40 previous cases, while Imran’s background is being verified,” she said.
A case has been registered in the matter, and
further probe is on.