AGRA/KANPUR Two alleged chain snatchers were shot dead in an encounter with a joint team of the Etawah Special Operations Group (SOG) and Firozabad police on Friday, while two policemen sustained bullet injuries, one critically, officials said.
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The encounter took place in broad daylight, around noon, near Neem Kharia village in the Shikohabad police station area after the accused, wanted in a chain-snatching case reported in Etawah on July 3, allegedly opened fire on police. Two policemen were injured in firing by the accused, they said.
The deceased were identified as Sumit, 25, and Ankit, 26. Both were criminals with long records who carried rewards. Police said Ankit was the alleged mastermind behind the July 3 robbery in which Dr RS Pal, a nursing home owner, was robbed of his gold chain while on his morning walk near Mehra railway crossing in Etawah.
The surveillance team received information that the two wanted criminals, travelling from Ghaziabad to Jharkhand, were aboard the Sambalpur Express. A joint team with the Firozabad police began inspecting the train after it halted at Shikohabad railway station. The duo got off the train and fled towards a nearby village. During the chase, they allegedly took a child hostage to evade arrest before abandoning the child and escaping on a motorcycle, said ADG (Agra zone) SK Bhagat while interacting with the media.
Bhagat, along with DIG (Agra Range) Shailesh Pandey, SSP (Firozabad) and SSP (Etawah) reached the spot while the encounter was on.
“The matter relates to a chain snatching incident in Etawah on July 3. Etawah police arrested one accused and was tracking others when it got information through surveillance that those wanted were in a train heading for Jharkhand on Friday,” said the ADG.
One of the accused was driving the motorcycle while other sitting behind kept on firing at the police.
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When police pursued them, the accused allegedly opened fire, injuring SOG constables David Chauhan (who suffered a bullet injury in the abdomen) and Pushpendra (who was shot in the shoulder). Both were admitted to the hospital and Chauhan was referred to Agra in a critical condition, said officials.
ADG Bhagat lauded SOG and surveillance police from Etawah, which continued the chase with exemplary courage without being disturbed by injury to fellow cops and neutralised one of the criminals. Later, Firozabad police also came to the help of Etawah police and the other accused was also gunned down in the encounter.
Investigators said the breakthrough came after the arrest of Ankit’s associate, Shivam alias Shiva, who was injured and arrested in a separate police encounter on July 10.
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During interrogation, Shivam allegedly disclosed that Ankit had planned the robbery after learning he was facing financial hardship because his son was admitted to Saifai Medical University. According to police, Ankit identified the doctor as a target because he routinely wore a heavy gold chain during his morning walks. The two allegedly carried out the robbery riding an unregistered motorcycle.
