A man, who had allegedly stolen a SUV at gunpoint, was shot dead by the police today in an encounter in Outer Delhi's Narela area, police said today.
According to the police, a constable, who was chasing him, also sustained a bullet injury in his leg. The identity of the accused is yet to be established.
The stolen SUV, a country-made pistol, five live and two empty cartridges of 7.62 mm caliber were recovered. The car was intercepted within an hour of it being robbed at gun point in Rohini area of Outer Delhi.
"At around 2:15 pm, a Ford Endeavour car was robbed at gun point near Sachdeva School in Rohini. A call was made to the Police Control Room (PCR) and a search launched across Outer District in search of the vehicle and the culprits," said a senior police officer.
The officer said checking was being conducted at Ghogha crossing picket in Outer District's Narela area where constable Baljit Singh Chahal and constable A.S Bohara were deployed. They spotted a white Endeavour car without a number plate moving towards Sannoth village and chased the vehicle which hit a wall on the side of a narrow road at village Sannoth.
The constables surrounded the car car and challenged the culprits.
"While the constables were trying to take the culprits out of the vehicle, a scuffle ensued in which one of the criminals opened fire at Baljeet Singh which hit him in his right thigh.
"In self-defense, Singh fired from his service revolver and one of the carjackers was injured. The other one managed to escape taking advantage of the commotion," said Additional Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sanjay Kumar.
The injured was taken to Maharshi Balmiki Hospital, Pooth Khurd, where he was declared brought dead. Efforts are being made to establish the identity of the deceased. A hunt has been launched to nab his accomplice, said Kumar.
