Police gun down notorious criminal in Kaithal; linked to Joga Hajwana, Mipa Narar gangs

KAITHAL: An accused carrying a bounty of Rs 5,000 and main accused in the firing case at Salamat Sweets in Pundri town of Kaithal district was killed in police encounter at 2 am near the canal on Jind road on Friday.

The deceased has been Anoop alias Faizal, a native of Chhudani village Jhajjar district. He was allegedly on his way to kill a BJP leader on a motrocycle when he was intercepted by a police team of Kaithal district. He had demanded a Rs 50 lakh from Pundri's BJP leader Vinod Bansal and his brother. But Vinod did not pay, therefore he was on his way to kill him but killed.

Reportedly, police had received input that the wanted criminal was present in Rajound town of Kaithal district. Acting on this information, a police team was dispatched. As soon as Anoop reached the location, the police attempted to capture him, but he opened fire. The police retaliated, hitting him with three bullets. He succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital. The CIA team from Kaithal and the Rajound police were involved in the operation.

Notably, Anoop alias Faizal had previously been involved in an encounter with Jhajjar police in 2015-16, during which he was shot in the leg. A reward of Rs 5,000 had been declared for his capture. He was accused of multiple shooting incidents in Pai, Jhajjar, Pundri, and Yamunanagar, including murders in Jhajjar and Yamunanagar. He was associated with the Joga Hajwana and Mipa Narar gang and had multiple cases registered against him across various districts in Haryana, said police.