New Delhi: The main accused in the murder of a Delhi Police constable was shot dead in an encounter with police personnel in south Delhi’s Sangam Vihar late Saturday night, officials said.
Constable Kiran Pal, posted at Govindpuri Police Station, was fatally stabbed while on night patrolling duty in southeast Delhi’s Govindpuri area in the early hours of Saturday. The constable had intercepted three individuals riding a scooty when the incident occurred.
According to police, Pal had stopped the trio for questioning, prompting them to throw stones at him to evade arrest. However, Pal managed to block their vehicle by placing his bike in their path and confiscated the keys to their scooty. During the altercation, one of the accused, Raghav, stabbed him. Pal succumbed to his injuries.
Later that day, two of the accused Deepak Max and Krish Gupta were arrested. Raghav, who stabbed Pal, remained at large until police traced him to the Sangam Vihar area.
Acting on specific intelligence, teams from the Narcotics Cell of South East District and the NDR of the Special Cell reached the area near Sangam Vihar and Surajkund Road. Upon being identified, Raghav was asked to surrender but opened fire on the police.
“In retaliation, police personnel fired back in self-defence, injuring the accused,” a senior officer from the Special Cell said. Raghav was immediately rushed to ESIC Hospital in Okhla, where he was declared dead.
The police recovered a pistol and two cartridges from the scene. No police personnel were injured in the encounter, officials confirmed.
The incident has sparked concern over the safety of police personnel during routine patrolling duties.
Constable Pal’s bravery in attempting to stop the accused despite the threat to his life has been widely acknowledged. The case is under further investigation.
With PTI inputs