The Delhi Police arrested three alleged sharpshooters, including a juvenile, linked to the Himanshu Bhau gang in the Bawana area, officials said on Saturday. The police also recovered two sophisticated illegal pistols and 27 live cartridges from their possession.
With their arrests, the police claimed to have averted a targeted attack on a resident of Pooth Khurd village, who was allegedly being monitored by the accused at the behest of gang associates.
According to the police, a patrolling team noticed three men riding a motorcycle suspiciously near Bengali Market in Pooth Khurd on Friday evening. When the riders allegedly attempted to flee after spotting the police, the team chased and intercepted them.
The accused were identified as Ajay (22), a resident of Jhajjar in Haryana, and Kanhaiya Kumar (22), a resident of Pooth Khurd, while the third person was a Child in Conflict with Law (CCL).
During the search, the police recovered an illegal pistol and 18 live cartridges from Ajay, another pistol and three cartridges from Kanhaiya and six cartridges from the juvenile. A total of 27 live cartridges, illegal pistols and a motorcycle were seized.
A case under the Arms Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at the Bawana police station.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed that they were acting on the instructions of Nitin, alias Vicky, alias Haddal, whom the police described as a close associate of gangster Himanshu Bhau. Investigators said Vicky had allegedly recruited Ajay and coordinated with Kanhaiya and the juvenile through social media.
The police claimed the trio had rented a room in the area and were conducting surveillance on a resident of Pooth Khurd village. They were allegedly carrying the recovered weapons and ammunition to execute a planned attack when they were intercepted.
Officials said the timely intervention by the patrolling team prevented a major crime and led to the seizure of illegal firearms before they could be used.
Further investigation is underway to identify the source of the weapons, verify the gang links of the accused and trace other individuals allegedly involved in the conspiracy.
