New Delhi, Oct 3 — A joint team of the SWAT team and Garhmukteshwar Police in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur district on Saturday arrested five members of a gang following an encounter in connection with the robbery of a canter loaded with clothes worth approximately Rs 55 lakh, police said.
One of the accused sustained a bullet injury during the encounter and was taken into custody for treatment.
Police said the looted canter, along with clothes worth around Rs 55 lakh, illegal firearms, live and spent cartridges, and an illegal knife were recovered from the accused.
According to police, the robbery took place five days ago when the gang intercepted the canter on the Balwapur-Brijghat road. The accused held the driver and helper hostage before abandoning them in the Amroha area. They then fled with the canter carrying the consignment of clothes.
Police identified two of the arrested accused as Javed and Azim and described them as notorious criminals. Several cases, including those related to murder, theft and violations of the Arms Act, are reportedly registered against them in Delhi, Moradabad, Sambhal and Hapur.
In a separate incident, earlier on September 24, Kavinagar Police in Ghaziabad had arrested a suspected vehicle thief following an encounter, during which the accused sustained a bullet injury to his leg.
Police recovered a pistol, cartridges, a gold coin and a scooter from the accused.
According to police, on September 11, a resident of Govindpuram in Kavinagar reported that two unidentified men had allegedly snatched his wife's mangalsutra, containing around five grams of gold, before fleeing. Police registered a case and launched an investigation to identify and apprehend the suspects.
A police team examining CCTV footage and gathering local Intelligence subsequently identified the suspects.
During a checking operation near the IDL College Road intersection in Shatabdipuram, police attempted to stop the accused, identified as around 20-year-old Imran alias Makkhi, son of Smain Mansoori and a resident of Loheya Nagar under the Adarsh Nagar Police Station area of Delhi.
Police had said the accused opened fire at the police team when officers attempted to apprehend him. The police retaliated in self-defence, during which Imran sustained a gunshot wound to his leg.
He was subsequently taken to the Joint District Hospital in Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad, for treatment.