TV channel crew fired at in robbery bid in Delhi

In a suspected case of attempt to robbery, two bike-borne men allegedly opened fire at a news channel crew when they were going to an assignment in south Delhi early on Sunday, police said.

A TV journalist, Siddharth Purohit, accused the police of not helping them despite reporting the incident to some officials near the INA metro station. The personnel, he alleged, removed the barricades instead and left the spot.

Around 1.30 am, Purohit was passing through the Barapullah flyover in his office cab with a camera person and the driver when two bike-borne men intercepted their vehicle, the police said.

The driver tried to speed away when the two brandished a pistol. But one of them shot three rounds at the vehicle, but they had a narrow escape, a senior officer said.

As the accused were chasing the vehicle, the driver continued driving with a hope of spotting PCR vans for help. He then dialled the 100 helpline number, but got a call from the PCR van only after 30 minutes, according to the complaint.

The complainant alleged that the PCR reached them at 3.05 am, over one-and-a-half hours after the incident.

A case has been registered and multiple teams have been formed to identify the men involved in the case. The case has been transferred to the crime branch, the police said.

Three police personnel, including an assistant sub-inspector, have been suspended for ignoring the complaint of the victim, the police said, adding that they would not tolerate insensitive behaviour.

A sketch of a suspect has been drawn and efforts are being made to nab the accused, the police said.