Day after attack on police team at Panchkula, 2 held, 4 at large

Panchkula, June 25

The police continued to grope in the dark over the course of 24 hours after three members of a joint team of Panchkula and Delhi police were attacked and left injured by miscreants at Sector 20 on Monday. The police said they have managed to nab two individuals—Ranbir Rana and Habib—and have registered a case of rioting and culpable homicide against them and their four unidentified accomplices.

The police said the case has been registered on the basis of the complaint by Yunis Javed of the Delhi Police. Javed was the investigating officer in a case of theft of 30 buffalos registered at the Ghazipur police station in Delhi.

He said the Delhi Police had arrested a man, Aftab, who was a suspect in the theft case, and through him gathered information about his accomplice in the crime, Habib’s whereabouts. He said, “We found out that Habib was at Panchkula. Therefore, we started a search operation along with the Panchkula police in the city; however, we were attacked by Habib, Ranbir Rana, and four other accomplices when we reached their flat at Sector 20. They also tried to snatch away my pistol.”

The police officer fired gunshots and injured Ranbir Rana during the scuffle. The police also arrested Rana and Habib. The police said the other suspect managed to escape the site in a car.

Police officials said they have registered a case against the suspects under Sections 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 189 (threat of injury to any public servant), 225 (intentionally offering resistance or illegal obstruction to lawful apprehension), 308 (culpable homicide), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to any person being a public servant in the discharge of his duty), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention), 342 (wrongful confinement of any person), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 379B (snatching) and 511 (offences punishable with imprisonment) of the IPC at Sector 20 police station.