Gurgaon: A 22-year-old man arrested in an extortion case was shot in the leg after he allegedly opened fire at police during a recovery operation in the Pali area on Faridabad-Gurgaon Road on Tuesday.The accused, Monu Gurjar, a resident of Sukhpura Road in Bathinda, Punjab, was arrested on Feb 7 with his associates Honey (20) and Kapil alias Kannu (21), in connection with an extortion and Arms Act case registered at Central police station, Faridabad.Officials said a police team took Monu on a 7-day police remand. On Feb 10, the team took him to a hilly stretch under Pali police post limits for recovery of weapons. During the operation, Monu led the police to a pistol, five live cartridges and five AK-47 cartridges concealed in the area.At that time, he allegedly threw dirt into the eyes of a police personnel, snatched his service pistol and fired two rounds at the team while trying to flee. Police retaliated and shot him in the left leg. He was taken into custody and later admitted to AIIMS, Delhi. His condition is stated to be stable, an officer said.Police said a case was registered on Feb 5 under sections of extortion and the Arms Act after a Faridabad-based steel businessman lodged a complaint. In his statement, the businessman said he received a WhatsApp call from a foreign number on Dec 17, demanding Rs 5 crore as extortion.“On Feb 2, some youths were seen moving suspiciously around his residence. On the night of Feb 5, a bag containing five cartridges and a threatening letter demanding money was found in the gallery of his house,” the officer added.Police said the accused placed the letter and cartridges at the complainant’s residence on the instructions of their handlers. However, they declined to disclose the international handlers during a press conference. Meanwhile, they said that these gangs are being run from foreign lands and have been active in the Delhi NCR area.Monu has four criminal cases, including kidnapping, assault and Arms Act violations, registered against him in Punjab. Honey is named in a dacoity case and Kapil in a vehicle theft case in Punjab.
