MAHENDRAGARH: Two alleged members of the notorious interstate “Pardi Gulel” gang suffered bullet injuries, while seven accused were arrested following a brief encounter with police near the HUDA Sector area close to Mahendragarh Court early on Friday morning.The operation was carried out by a joint team of Mahendragarh district police under the supervision of Superintendent of Police Deepak Jewaria as part of a special drive to strengthen law and order in the district.Police said the CIA unit in Narnaul received specific intelligence that members of the gang, known for involvement in robbery, dacoity and violent crimes across several states, were moving around the city with plans to commit a major offence. Following the input, teams from CIA Narnaul, CIA Mahendragarh and Mahendragarh City police station launched a coordinated operation to trace the suspects.“The accused were first tracked near Mahendragarh College. As the police teams intensified surveillance, fresh inputs indicated that the gang members were attempting to flee towards the HUDA Sector area via Satnali Mod. Police teams swiftly set up barricades and surrounded the suspects,” a Mahendragarh police spokesperson said.On being cornered, the accused allegedly ignored repeated warnings to surrender and tried to escape in different directions. During the chase, the gang members allegedly opened fire at police personnel. Police retaliated in self-defence after firing warning shots in the air, officials said.Two accused suffered bullet injuries in the exchange of fire and were shifted to the Government Hospital in Mahendragarh for initial treatment before being referred to a higher medical centre.The remaining five accused were overpowered and taken into custody at the scene.The arrested accused were identified as Maniram, Abhay, Arjun, Virendra, Chand and Vijay, all residents of different villages in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district, along with Sunil, a resident of Madhogarh in Ashoknagar district.Police said Vijay and Chand were wanted in multiple criminal cases and carried cash rewards of ?15,000 and ?5,000 respectively, announced by Madhya Pradesh Police. Authorities are now examining the criminal records of all seven accused.During a search operation at the encounter site, police recovered illegal weapons and burglary tools allegedly used by the gang. The seized items included an automatic pistol with a magazine and three live cartridges, a country-made pistol with an empty shell, and several spent cartridges recovered from the scene.Police also recovered a backpack containing a pointed iron rod, file, pliers, wire cutter, screwdriver, mobile phone, wristwatch and a slingshot, commonly referred to as a “gulel”, which investigators said was frequently used during housebreaking incidents.An FIR related to an alleged attempt to murder police personnel has been registered at Mahendragarh City police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act. Further investigation is underway.
