Two men who attacked policeman, snatched his pistol and shot at him in Southwest Delhi arrested

Officers tried to chase the men, but in vain. Police said the armed men stopped a passing motorcyclist and fled. A case under sections 221, 132, 109(1), 104(1), 309(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act was registered at Safdarjung Enclave police station.

Following the incident, multiple teams were formed. Investigators scanned footage of nearly 500 CCTV cameras installed in Safdarjung Enclave, Hauz Khas, Malviya Nagar and Mehrauli.

During the probe, police identified one Avinash (30), a resident of Savitri Nagar, who also stayed in Chhatarpur. He has been allegedly involved in several cases of robbery and snatching across Delhi. Electronic surveillance later indicated that he had gone towards Tundla in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad. Raids were conducted on January 23. Police said that around 2:15 pm, Avinash was spotted riding a scooter near the Old Bypass Road close to the Raja Ka Tal cremation ground. When signalled to stop, he allegedly sped up, lost control of the scooter and, on being surrounded, opened fire at the police team.

“In the exchange of fire, bullets hit ACP Melvyn Varghese’s and Inspector Ram Kumar’s vests. The accused also sustained injuries on the knees after police retaliated. He was apprehended on the spot,” said DCP (South West) Amit Goel.

The 9 mm pistol he had snatched, was recovered from his possession, along with a mobile phone and a scooter.

During questioning, Avinash allegedly confirmed that he was involved in the Safdarjung Enclave incident. At his instance, his accomplice, Waseem (30), a resident of Malviya Nagar’s Swami Nagar, was subsequently arrested near a graveyard.

Police said that Waseem has also been previously involved in two criminal cases registered at Vasant Vihar and Malviya Nagar police stations.

Separate cases have been registered, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.