An alleged encounter between the police and suspected carjackers ended with the death of a 25-year-old youth in outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala on Wednesday morning.
With the family of the deceased suspecting foul play, the Crime Branch has been asked to investigate the matter. However, no case was registered against the police team involved in the incident till late on Wednesday.
M. N. Tiwari, who took over as the DCP (Outer district) on Tuesday, said the deceased, Abhishek Sharma, was part of a group of carjackers who had robbed a man of a Honda Mobilio car from west Delhi’s Uttam Nagar around 4.45 a.m. on Wednesday.
They allegedly dumped the driver mid-way after which he informed the police. Since the vehicle was GPS-enabled, a team from Kanjhawala police station set out after the suspects.
They were intercepted in Kanjhawala at 7.46 a.m, said the DCP. He added that the carjackers refused to stop and fired at the police, who responded by returning fire.
Mohd Alam, a shopkeeper who claimed to be an eyewitness, had a different version to offer. He said the suspected carjackers tried to reverse their car and escape.
He said that only one shot was fired — and that was by the police. “The policeman (head constable Vikram Singh) may have been aiming for the car’s tyre, but hit the window,” said Mohd Alam.
A private hospital, meanwhile, informed the police of a man with a bullet injury who had come for treatment. “The suspect could not be saved despite being referred to Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital,” said the DCP.
The car was found abandoned in Haryana’s Bahadurgarh a few hours later. The DCP said blood stains were found in the car, with Abhishek’s associates missing.
The head constable involved in the incident identified the deceased as Abhishek, one of the alleged carjackers involved in the “encounter”. The DCP said a case had been registered against the suspects.
