Delhi’s most wanted criminal killed in police encounter in Shamli

Shamli, Feb 6: A wanted criminal carrying a reward of Rs 50,000, identified as Rehan, was killed in a police encounter late Thursday night in Shamli district. Rehan, a resident of Zakir Nagar, New Okhla in Delhi, had more than 90 criminal cases registered against him across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, police said on Friday.
According to police, Rehan and his accomplice had robbed a youth of cash and a mobile phone in the Babri area of Shamli around three hours before the encounter. Following the incident, police launched a district-wide checking operation.
At around 12:30 am, police teams from Kotwali and Adarsh Mandi police stations spotted two suspects riding a motorcycle near the Eastern Yamuna Canal. When the police attempted to stop them, the suspects took a U-turn, tried to flee, and opened fire on the police team.
During the exchange of fire, Constable Sumit was injured by a bullet. Police retaliated, during which Rehan was shot and fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the darkness, his accomplice managed to escape. Both the injured constable and Rehan were taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared Rehan dead during treatment. The encounter reportedly lasted for about 30 to 35 minutes.
Police recovered a made-in-Italy pistol, a country-made pistol, eight live cartridges, and a gold ring from Rehan’s possession. Superintendent of Police N.P. Singh said that the robbery took place around 9 p.m. on Thursday when Rehan and his accomplice stopped Rahul, a resident of Fatehpur, who was riding a motorcycle, and robbed him of cash and his mobile phone. Rahul immediately informed the police, leading to the alert and subsequent checking operation.
Rehan was known for committing chain-snatching and robbery incidents, especially targeting women, across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. Of the total cases against him, 49 were registered in Delhi and 28 in Ghaziabad, while others were registered in Shamli, Baghpat, Hapur, and Bulandshahr for robbery, theft, and attempted murder. Police have launched a search operation to trace and arrest the absconding accomplice.