Karnal police have arrested a wanted criminal allegedly involved in robberies across Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh after a brief exchange of firing on augmentation canal’s embankment near Shekhpura Sohana village near Meerut road on Monday late evening.
The accused has been identified as Gurjeet, a resident of Delhi, who had become a major challenge for Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh police after allegedly executing around 10 robberies in the region. The accused had reportedly opened fire during a robbery at a petrol pump on the Taraori earlier this month, making him a high-priority target for the police.
As per the CIA-1 Karnal incharge Sandeep Singh investigation into the Taraori petrol pump firing case had been handed over to his team by the Superintendent of Police Narender Bijarniya.
On a tip off that the accused had entered Karnal to commit another crime, the team members laid a trap near the canal. When police tried to stop Gurjeet, he opened fire on the team members in an attempt to escape. The police asked him to surrender, but he continued firing. A total of six rounds were fired — three by the accused and three by the police. One of the bullets fired by the criminal struck the windshield of the police vehicle, narrowly missing the officers, he said.
In retaliatory firing, the police shot Gurjeet in the leg. The injured accused was immediately shifted to the District Civil Hospital. Police teams recovered a weapon and the motorcycle used by the accused from the spot, he added.
Forensic experts and FSL teams also reached the crime spot to collect evidence, while senior officials began further investigation into the accused’s criminal network and possible accomplices.
Inspector Sandeep Singh said that Gurjeet had undergone five-year jail term for robbery.
SP Narender Bijarniya said that Gurjeet was a habitual offender and several robbery cases had already been registered against him in different districts. “Our team members are working to trace his network and other accomplices in crime,” he added.
