Three arrested after encounter in Gurugram

A joint team of crime units from Sohna and Farukhnagar arrested three criminals after a gunfight late last night. The accused were transporting cows for smuggling in a stolen canter when the police attempted to intercept them. During the exchange of gunfire, two of the suspects were injured, sustaining bullet wounds to their legs.

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One of the arrested men, Rashid alias Yusuf alias Kake, has been linked to a staggering 49 criminal incidents, including gang-rape, murder, attempted murder, robbery and several serious assaults on police officers. Among the items seized from the suspects were a canter, two illegal pistols, one live cartridge, 10 spent shell casings, a cow and a calf.

According to the police, the crime unit from Farukhnagar received information last night that a group of men were stealing a cow from a dairy in Ullawas, located in Sector 65. The team chased the stolen canter and support from the Sohna crime unit arrived on the scene. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver fled and the suspects opened fire. A total of ten shots were exchanged before the police returned fire, wounding two of the suspects.

The injured criminals were apprehended and hospitalised, while a third suspect was arrested without injury. The suspects have been identified as Arif (28), Arif alias Mandal (27), both from Utawad village in district Nuh and Rashid alias Yusuf alias Kake (33), from Rojka Meo in district Nuh.

Preliminary investigations revealed the canter used by the criminals had been stolen from Bilaspur on December 24. Furthermore, the cow and calf were taken from a dairy in Ullawas by the suspects. Rashid alias Yusuf has a long criminal record, with 49 cases against him, ranging from murder and attempted murder to ATM theft and cow smuggling. Arif faces charges in connection with two cases of attempted murder and cow smuggling, while Arif alias Mandal is linked to one case of cow smuggling.

Police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar said Rashid and his associates were previously involved in a high-profile cow smuggling operation in Gurugram in 2009. During a police chase at the time, the criminals deliberately rammed a police vehicle near Hero Honda Chowk, resulting in the death of EHC Babulal of the Gurugram police.

The police said Rashid and Arif are currently under medical care and once discharged from the hospital, they will be further interrogated.