Murder accused killed, police inspector hurt in Jhajjar encounter

A 32-year-old man, identified as Inderpal, an accused in the Vijay Saini murder case, was killed in an encounter with Special Task Force (STF) of Haryana Police near Dujana village late on Sunday evening. An STF inspector also sustained a gunshot injury to his arm during the exchange of fire.

According to sources, the STF received specific intelligence about the presence of suspects linked to the murder case near Dujana. Acting on the tip-off, the STF team launched an operation and cordoned off the area. As the STF closed in, the suspect allegedly opened fire, leading to a gunbattle.

During the exchange of fire, Inderpal suffered bullet injuries and later succumbed to injuries. STF Inspector Rakesh was also hit by a bullet. He was taken to the Civil Hospital for treatment. On receiving information about the incident, Jhajjar Commissioner of Police Dr Rajshri Singh also visited the hospital and enquired about the officer’s condition.

Police sources said Inderpal was a close associate of Sanjay Birdhana, the prime accused in the Vijay Saini murder case. The police had earlier arrested a woman believed to be a close associate of Inderpal and were piecing together various links in the investigation.

Dr Rajshri said the police had been under pressure to apprehend those involved in the murder and the STF operation was carried out on the basis of continuous intelligence inputs. “Efforts are also underway to arrest the main accused in the case,” she added.

Vijay Saini (65) was shot dead by two assailants in his fields at Dujana village on May 31. Since then, the accused had been on the run, with police teams conducting raids at multiple locations to track them down.