Wanted criminal gunned down in police encounter at Samalkha

Panipat, July 8

A wanted criminal was killed on Friday late night while his accomplice sustained bullet injuries in a police encounter on the Narayana village road in the Samalkha area of Panipat.

The deceased criminal has been identified as 32-year-old Rakesh, alias Raka, of Garhi Sisana village of Sonepat district. He was the younger brother of Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s sharpshooter Priyawart Fauji, allegedly involved in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. The injured has been identified as Sonu of Sidharth Nagar of the city.

However, the family members of Raka accused the police of murdering Rakesh and scripting a fake encounter.

As per information, both the accused were wanted for demanding extortion money from two prominent traders in the city. They were also wanted in a criminal case registered against them in Kurukshetra, where they fired at a businessman.

Ajit Singh Shekhawat, SP, Panipat, said the CIA-2 team received a tip-off about the miscreants’ movement. Following the tip-off, the team started chasing their vehicle. When they reached the Narayana village road, they opened fire upon the team.

In retaliation, the CIA team also fired and the miscreants sustained bullet injuries. The team rushed them to the General Hospital where the doctors declared Rakesh dead, he said.

Shekhawat said Rakesh’s death was suspicious as he received bullet injury only on his legs. The actual cause of death could be ascertained only after a post-mortem examination, the SP maintained.

Since Rakesh died during police action, his postmortem would be conducted as per norms set by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Videography would also be done during the postmortem, the SP added.

The family members of Rakesh, however, refused to accept the body and were adamant to register a criminal case against the CIA team for killing their son. Amit, elder brother of Rakesh, alleged that the CIA team had inflicted third-degree torture on his brother and killed him in a fake encounter. He further alleged that the police team had demanded Rs 5 lakh to release him.

After a day-long opposition, the family members were pacified and they agreed to the postmortem examination at the PGIMS, Khanpur Kalan.

DC orders magisterial probe

• The Deputy Commissioner has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident. The Panipat SDM would conduct the probe
• A special investigation team has also been formed under the supervision of DSP, Headquarters, and two inspector-level officials to probe into the matter in detail