Meerut, Oct. 28 -- All nine members of a gang of burglars were caught and arrested following an exchange of fire with police in Badaun on Monday morning, police said. In the encounter, which took place around 5am in the Faizganj Behta area of the district, two of the suspects were injured. According to superintendent of police (Rural) Hridayesh Katheria, police had been on the lookout for suspects involved in a Rs.1 crore burglary at the residence of one Tina in Orchhi village. Acting on a tip-off that some of the culprits had been spotted in Gangoli preparing for another heist, the police launched a pre-dawn operation. "The criminals noticed police approaching and opened fire. Our team responded in self-defence, and two of the criminals were injured in the leg. The others were arrested after a brief chase," said SP Katheria. The injured accused, identified as Nazim of Kheda Uprola village under Naugawan police station in Amroha, and Tayyab of Karamallipur, were admitted to the district hospital. Their condition was stated to be stable. From the arrested men, police recovered 700 grams of gold ornaments, two kilograms of silver jewellery, Rs.8.35 lakh in cash, and country-made pistols with live cartridges. Those arrested were identified as Arvind Gautam of Chandausi, Nazim and Moin of Amroha, Tayyab, Asfaq alias Kanti, Nadeem, Shibbu alias Shoaib, Furkan alias Fakruddin, and Sohel of Sambhal district. Police said all the accused have a long criminal record, with over a dozen cases of theft, robbery, and dacoity registered against them in different police stations across western Uttar Pradesh. "The operation has dealt a significant blow to an inter-district network of burglars. Further investigation is underway," SP Katheria added. htc...