The Delhi Police arrested three alleged criminals, including the prime accused in a recent Saket extortion and firing case, after a brief exchange of fire in south Delhi in the early hours of Saturday, officials said.
The accused — Rakesh, alias Raka (31); Sonu, alias Addu (25); and Bharat Jatav (23) — were apprehended by a joint team of the Special Staff and Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of South district during an operation near Machhi Market Road.
According to the police, the action followed an investigation into an extortion case registered at Saket police station after a resident of Lado Sarai reported receiving threatening calls allegedly from Rakesh. On June 1, two motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly fired multiple rounds outside the complainant’s residence to enforce the demand.
The police said technical surveillance, CCTV footage analysis and local intelligence pointed to the involvement of Rakesh and Sonu, who had been absconding since the incident.
Acting on specific information that the trio would be passing through Birla Vidya Niketan Marg with illegal firearms, the police laid a trap in the intervening night of June 5 and 6. Around 12.20 am, the suspects were spotted riding a motorcycle without a registration number.
When signalled to stop, the accused allegedly tried to flee and opened fire on the police team. During the exchange, a bullet allegedly fired by Rakesh struck the bulletproof jacket of Head Constable Sandeep Dhayal, averting a potentially fatal injury.
The police said they returned fire in self-defence, injuring Rakesh and Sonu in the legs before overpowering them. Bharat Jatav was disarmed and arrested at the spot. The injured accused were taken to hospital for treatment.
Investigators recovered two semi-automatic pistols, seven live cartridges, six empty cartridges, three mobile phones and a stolen Splendor motorcycle allegedly used in the crime. The police said the weapons were used in the Saket firing incident. According to police records, Rakesh is a listed bad character of Ambedkar Nagar police station and is involved in 11 criminal cases, while Sonu and Bharat face two and one cases, respectively.
The police said the accused claimed links with the now-disbanded Prince Teotia gang and were attempting to regroup. A separate case relating to the encounter and recovery of weapons has been registered at the Saket police station, and further investigation is underway to trace their wider network and other associates.
