'Six miscreants held for firing at police, injuring officer'

Six men, including a Bangladeshi national, have been arrested for allegedly firing on a police team and injuring an officer, during their dacoity bid, foiled by the police late last month in east Delhi's Preet Vihar area, the police said today.

The accused were identified as Islam (32), Ikram (30), Sohail (28), Harun (46), Appan (40) and Suttan Sheikh.

The police also recovered from them two country-made pistols, two empty cartridges, gold jewellery, two mobile phones, two knives and one Bangladeshi passport and several house-breaking instruments, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Pankaj Singh.

He said on the intervening night of July 26 and 27, the police were informed of the presence of some suspected thieves in G Block of Preet Vihar, following which they rushed to the spot and found the miscreants trying to enter a house.

Accosted by the police, they tried to run away but one of them were nabbed by Assistant Sub Inspector Lokesh, following which the miscreants began grappling with him and hit on his head with a pistol's butt to have their associate freed.

As the ASI did not yield, one of them opened fire on the police, injuring the ASI and managed to flee and disappear into the darkness along the adjoining railway tracks, said the DCP.

The police later found their bag near the railway tracks, he said, adding that the contents of the bag yielded vital clues about them, following which several police teams were formed and sent to different places.

One of the teams managed to nab Ikram near Kanpur Central Railway Station and on his revelations, his two other accomplices, Islam and Sohail, were arrested, the DCP said.

The police subsequently nabbed three others - Appan, Suttan and Haroon from Ghaziabad and Delhi respectively.

On interrogation, the arrested accused confessed that Ikram knew well of Preet Vihar topography and was in contact with Bangladeshi men both in Delhi and in Bangladesh. He roped in other members of the gang to commit thefts and dacoites,the DCP said.

On July 5, the gang had committed a dacoity in a house at Preet Vihar, the DCP said, adding that on the intervening night of July 26 and 27, they were again planning to commit the crime in the area.

The investigations have revealed they had recently committed dacoities in Kerala and Bangalore too, he added.