The Hindu : New Delhi News : Bunty gunned down by police

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Tuesday, Aug 26, 2008
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New Delhi

Bunty gunned down by police

Staff Reporter

PHOTO: R. V. MOORTHY

IT ALL HAPPENED HERE: People gathered at the spot where the police killed gangsters Om Prakash alias Bunty and Rajesh in an encounter on Monday. -

NEW DELHI: The reign of terror unleashed by the much talked about “Bunty gang” in and around the Capital came to an end on Monday with the leader of the gang, Om Prakash alias Bunty, and his accomplice Rajesh Sharma alias Panni being gunned down on the outskirts of the city during a brief encounter with the Delhi police. Each carried a cash reward of Rs.50,000 on his head.

Thirty-year-old Bunty, a proclaimed bad character of Delhi’s Sangam Vihar area, and his 26-year-old accomplice Panni had 19 cases of murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and robbery registered against them in recent months.

Bunty, a school drop-out, was in the past involved in 23 criminal cases and had been arrested on several occasions.

Hot on his trail since the sudden spurt in his activities in July, the Delhi police had arrested three members of the gang -- Nasir, Mushtaq, Rakesh alias Chholewala -- earlier this month. Though the police mounted raids at several places in the Capital and surrounding areas, Bunty along with his gang managed to give the police the slip every time.

The breakthrough came in the early hours of Monday following a tip-off. The police learnt that Bunty and his accomplice were staying in a godown at Jaitpur village in Saurabh Vihar near Badarpur. The police immediately cordoned off the godown and asked the accused to surrender.

“One of the two iron gates of the godown was locked from outside giving the impression that the building was vacant. As the police team neared the godown, the duo opened indiscriminate fire at them. The team took position and returned the fire. Some policemen sustained gunshots on their bullet-proof jackets while trying to gain entry into the godown. But Bunty and Panni were badly injured in the crossfire and were declared brought dead at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) H. G. S. Dhaliwal, adding that 26 rounds were fired from both sides during the 15-minute gun-battle.

The Station House Officer of Hazrat Nizamuddin police station, Inspector Suresh Kaushik, Assistant Sub-Inspector (Special Staff) Ashok Kumar and Constables Virender and Raghubir sustained bullet injuries in the gun-battle. All four have been admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre and are stated to be out of danger.

Godown as hide-out

The godown used as a hide-out by the duo reportedly belonged to Dinesh Kumar Mittal, prime accused in the sensational Arun Gupta murder case of Kalkaji. Investigations are under way to find out whether Bunty and his gang were in any way linked to the high-profile murder case.

Three 9-mm pistols of foreign make, four country-made pistols, a stolen motorcycle, two knives and 18 live cartridges have allegedly been seized.

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