New Delhi, July 5 -- Two alleged members of the Lawrence Bishnoi-linked Hariram alias Harry Boxer-Anil Pandit organised crime syndicate, each carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh, were killed in an exchange of fire with a joint team of the Delhi Police Special Cell and the Haryana Police Special Task Force (STF), police said on Sunday.
According to police, the operation was launched following a tip-off received by the Delhi Police Special Cell about the movement of the accused. It also led to the registration of a case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the syndicate as part of a wider crackdown on its criminal network.
The deceased, identified as Pravesh and Himanshu, both residents of Hisar in Haryana, were wanted in connection with the June 11 murder of a gym trainer in Hansi. The killing, captured on CCTV, had prompted the Haryana Police to announce a reward of Rs 1 lakh on each accused. They were also named in an FIR registered by the Special Cell.
Police said intelligence inputs suggested the duo was moving within Haryana, prompting a joint operation with the STF. After tracking them near Bahadurgarh, the police team surrounded the suspects and asked them to surrender. Officials alleged that the duo instead opened fire, forcing the police to retaliate in self-defence.
Both men sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were declared dead. During the operation, Constable Ankit of the Special Cell sustained a gunshot injury to his leg. Police said his condition is stable and the injury is not life-threatening.
Senior Haryana Police officers, along with forensic experts and the crime team, inspected the scene, and a fresh FIR has been registered at Sadar Bahadurgarh Police Station.
Police said the operation followed the arrest of two other alleged members of the same syndicate, Hakikat alias Sahil and Sagar, after an armed encounter in Delhi on June 25. The duo is accused of opening fire outside singer Guru Randhawa's gym in Paschim Vihar on June 11 and remains in police custody.
According to investigators, their interrogation provided crucial leads that helped trace Pravesh and Himanshu and establish links between the Delhi firing and the Hansi murder. Officials said the newly registered MCOCA case is aimed at dismantling the syndicate's financial and logistical network and enabling legal action against absconding gang leaders, including Harry Boxer and Anil Pandit, who are believed to be operating from abroad.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.