Three held after encounter in southeast Delhi

Three suspected criminals were arrested after an encounter with police at southeast Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin area on Sunday afternoon, an officer said.

The bike-borne men were stopped by a police team at the Lala Lajpat Rai Marg and one of them fired three rounds while trying to escape. He was shot in the leg in retaliatory firing and has been admitted to a hospital, police said.

The team overpowered the other two after a brief chase, they said, adding that the arrested have been identified as Faizan (22), Salmaan (22) and Shuaib (21).

The team was deployed on the carriageway from Moolchand to Lodhi Road of Lala Lajpat Rai Marg following a tip-off, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said at around 3.50 pm, police spotted the three suspects on a motorcycle.

When they tried to stop them by closing the barricades, Faizan got down from the motorcycle and started running.The other two tried to escape on the motorcycle, but both of them were chased by the team and caught at the Lodhi Road flyover, he said.

Faizan fired three rounds and in retaliation, police fired two rounds -- one in the air and then one below the waist in self defense, Biswal said.

He said after chasing him for half-a-kilometer, he was nabbed near Basti Nizamuddin. He suffered bullet injury on his right leg and has been admitted to the AIIMS Trauma centre, the officer added.

Faizan is a resident of Mustfabaad. He is involved in 13 cases of snatching, robbery and the Arms Act while Salmaan and Shuaib are residents of Bhajanpura, the DCP said.

Salmaan is involved in 15 cases of robbery, snatching and the Arms Act while Shuaib is involved in a snatching case, he said.

Three fire arms have been seized from them, including the pistol from which Faizan had fired on the police team, Biswal said.

Police have registered a case and the matter is being probed.