Dreaded criminal killed in encounter

A dreaded criminal involved in over a dozen cases of attempt to murder and murder, including the heinous murder case of a Patwari here, was gunned down in a police encounter Tuesday, officials said.

Bhawar Singh, who was carrying Rs 1 lakh reward on his head, was an "active" history-sheeter in Delhi, Gurgaon and Hisar area, a senior official of Gurgaon Police said.

The crime branch team received a secret information on Monday late in the night that Bhawar Singh and his accomplice Ravinder were hiding in a house located in Saharawan in Maneser, Assistant Commissioner of Gurgaon Police Shamsher Singh said.

"A trap was laid near the house by crime branch sleuths. When police team barged into the house to nab Bhawar Singh, he opened fire. In self-defence, the police party shot three rounds of fire which Singh suffered, while his accomplice managed to escape from the spot," he said.

"Bhawar Singh was taken to a nearby hospital but declared brought dead", the ACP said.

He was sentenced to jail and came out on parole but jumped it. Since than he had been actively involved in various crimes.

He had on August 14 gunned down a Patwari on duty in Maneser.