A confrontation between law enforcement and a criminal took place in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district on Tuesday, 25 August, resulting in the arrest of a notorious snatcher following a gunfight. Indirapuram police officers intercepted the suspect during an intensive vehicle inspection drive near Tikona Park and the Sector-62 cut. The accused suffered a gunshot wound to his right leg when officers returned fire in self-defense, leading to his immediate apprehension and hospitalisation. Shaken by the encounter while in custody, the suspect reportedly vowed never to set foot in Ghaziabad again.
High-Speed Chase and Direct Firing at Police
The incident unfolded on Tuesday as a dedicated team from the Indirapuram police station set up checkpoints near Tikona Park and the Sector-62 cut to inspect suspicious commuter traffic. Officers spotted a suspect riding a motorcycle from the direction of Gaur Gravity Mall and signaled him to pull over for inspection. Instead of stopping, the rider accelerated to break through the cordon. As police officers gave chase, the fleeing suspect drew a firearm and discharged shots directly at the pursuing police party.
Retaliatory Firing, Arrest, and Weapon Recovery
Faced with imminent danger, the police team engaged in controlled retaliatory firing to defend themselves. A bullet struck the suspect in his right leg, causing him to lose control of the motorcycle and crash onto the road. Officers immediately immobilized the injured criminal and arranged for his transport to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. A search of the scene yielded an unnumbered motorcycle, a piece of yellow metal, an illegal country-made pistol, two empty cartridges, and one live round.
Suspect Identity and Modus Operandi Revealed
Providing details on the operation, Indirapuram Assistant Commissioner of Police Suryabali Maurya identified the arrested man as Manoj, who also goes by the aliases Aslam and Aade, a resident of Delhi. During interrogation, Manoj confessed to operating a street crime network across the Delhi-NCR region alongside his accomplice, Sanjay Sharma, a resident of Nangloi in Delhi. Manoj disclosed that the duo habitually altered their getaway motorcycles and swapped or removed license plates prior to committing snatches to evade law enforcement identification.
Confession of Prior Crimes and Ongoing Manhunt
Manoj admitted during questioning that he and Sanjay Sharma had executed a snatching operation within the jurisdiction of the Indirapuram police station approximately 15 days prior to this incident. Law enforcement officials are currently compiling Manoj's full criminal history to determine his involvement in other unsolved snatching cases across Delhi-NCR. Meanwhile, police teams have launched searches across targeted locations to track down and arrest his absconding associate, Sanjay Sharma.
