A man suspected behind several cases of phone and jewellery snatchings in the National Capital Region was arrested in Noida on Monday after a gunfight with the police in which he suffered injuries, officials said.
The accused, who hails from Khoda colony in adjoining Ghaziabad, and his aide were intercepted by a team of Sector 24 police station around 8 a.m., following a tip-off, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Ranvijay Singh said.
“The Noida police had been working on cases of snatchings and street crimes in which criminals based out of bordering cities of Ghaziabad and Delhi were often involved. Accused Subhash Negi, who has over a dozen cases against him, was also wanted by the police,” Mr. Singh said.
“This morning, the local police got a tip-off about his movement in Noida, following which he was intercepted, and while he was on the bridge of a nullah near RTO office in Sector 33A. Seeing himself surrounded by the police, he opened fire in a bid to escape but got hit in retaliatory firing and was held,” the officer said.
Mr. Negi was immediately sent to a hospital, Mr. Singh said, adding that his aide, however, managed to escape but a combing operation was under way to track him.
An illegal country-made pistol and three stolen mobile phones have been seized from his possession, while the scooter he was using has been impounded, the officer said.
An FIR was being lodged in the case and further legal proceedings were under way, Mr. Singh said, adding that the police are also trying to track the network of suppliers and buyers of the stolen phones in the region.
