Wanted criminal, who escaped police custody, killed in exchange of fire in Delhi's Rohini

Image used for representational purpose

New Delhi: A wanted gangster, who had escaped from custody, was killed on Sunday following an exchange of fire with a Special Cell team at a flat in the Rohini area here, police said.

Several teams of the police's Special Cell and Crime Branch were working to trace and nab Kuldeep alias Fajja, who had escaped on March 25, they said.

The operation at Rohini was conducted around 1.45 am, police said.

Kuldeep suffered injuries in the exchange of fire at the flat in Rohini's sector 14, they said.

The Special Cell got a tip-off on Saturday that Kuldeep was hiding in the flat at Tulsi Apartments. Before the operation, it arrested one of Kuldeep's associates Bhupinder Mann around 9:30 pm and he revealed that he was harbouring Kuldeep, police said.

"Police reached the area and raided the flat. They asked Kuldeep to surrender, but he opened fire at police. In retaliation, police fired and Kuldeep suffered injures. He was rushed to the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital at Rohini where he was declared brought dead," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said.

Police said that around 20 rounds were fired -- eight by Kuldeep and around 10 by the Special Cell team -- during the exchange of fire.

The flat belonged to Yogender Dahiya, also an associate of Kuldeep. He has been arrested, they said.

According to a senior police officer, the escape plan for Kuldeep was hatched by his associates to revive the Gogi gang.

On March 25 afternoon, Kuldeep escaped from custody after a gunfight broke out at a government hospital here.

At the hospital, the assailants first threw chilli powder at the police team and then started firing at them to which the security personnel retaliated with 12 rounds of fire, killing one of them on the spot and injuring another.

The shootout took place when police were taking Kuldeep, who is a member of the Gogi gang, to the hospital for treatment.

Five to six men came in a Scorpio car and a motorcycle from the rear entrance of the hospital building and fired at police.

The Gogi gang is involved in extortion, collecting ransom and protection money as well as committing car-jacking among others. Kuldeep was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in March last year from Gurgaon.