Haridwar, Nov 15 : A suspected illegal arms supply operation was foiled after an encounter between police and three criminals in the Bahadrabad area of Haridwar, leaving one accused injured by a bullet, while two others were arrested, police said.
According to officials, the injured accused, identified as Mukul, sustained a bullet injury in his leg during retaliatory firing by the police. His associates, Vishal and Bhupendra, were apprehended at the spot, they added. Police also recovered two pistols, live cartridges and a country-made .315-bore pistol from their possession.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Navneet Singh Bhullar, the police received a tip-off on Sunday that some criminals were arriving near Grand Lajja in the Bahadrabad area to supply pistols.
Acting on the information, the Bahadrabad police team laid an ambush and cordoned off the area to intercept the suspects.
During the operation, three men arrived on two motorcycles. When the police attempted to apprehend them, two of the suspects, identified as Vishal and Bhupendra, were caught on the spot.
However, Mukul fled towards a sugarcane field and allegedly opened fire at the police team. The police retaliated, hitting him in the leg and bringing him under control.
The injured accused was subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment.
The arrested accused have been identified as Vishal (25), a resident of Valmiki Basti in Bahadrabad; Bhupendra (23), a resident of Muzaffarnagar; and Mukul (25), a resident of Sardhana in Meerut.
SSP Bhullar also visited the hospital to enquire about the injured accused's treatment and review the details of the encounter.
Police are now investigating the criminal antecedents of the accused and probing the network involved in the illegal supply of firearms.
Further investigation is underway to check whether more individuals are in the gang.
