Cop shot dead during raid by criminal's aides in Ghaziabad

A 28-year-old constable part of a Noida police team out to catch a wanted criminal in Ghaziabad was shot dead by his associates, police on Monday said.

The incident took place in Masoorie area's Nahal village late Sunday night, when the team raided a location looking for Qadir, wanted in a case of robbery registered in Noida's Phase-III Police Station.

When the team was taking Qadir away, his associates hiding near a panchayat bhavan fired gunshots, pelted them with stones, and launched an attack on them with deadly weapons, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rural) Surendra Nath Tiwari said.

In the attack, Constable Saurabh Kumar Deshwal received a gunshot in the head. He was rushed to Yashoda Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the DCP said.

The 2016-batch policeman was a native of Shamli and was posted at Phase-III Police Station.

“His death has caused a huge loss to the police department,” a spokesperson of Gautam Buddha Nagar Commissionerate said.

Sub-inspectors Sachin Rathi, Udit Singh, Sumit, Nikhil were injured in the attack, he said.

Qadir, who had escaped in the commotion, was later nabbed and is currently in custody.

He has 16 criminal cases filed against him and is a history-sheeter of Thana Masoori, the spokesperson said.

Police are on the lookout for Adil, a brother of Qadir, and several others involved in the attack.