Ghaziabad: Three of gang who shot and injured two during three robberies, arrested
In a late-night crackdown on Sunday, Ghaziabad police arrested three suspects allegedly involved in a series of attempted robberies that left two persons injured in Amrala and Naglaber villages of Modinagar on the intervening night of March 26 and 27. A fourth suspect remains at large.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Itwari Lal, 27; Bharat Kumar, 37; and Padam Lal, 19, all residents of Shahjahapur. Police said they are part of a gang that sells ceramic pottery items at local fairs and had arrived in Modinagar for the Sikri Mela. “They had come to Modinagar for the Sikri Mela, and in between, they conducted recce at Amrala and Naglaber for robberies,” said Gyan Prakash Rai, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Modinagar circle.
The first incident took place around 9.30pm on March 26, when the gang allegedly attacked Rajnish Sharma, 37, his wife, and his sister while they were taking a post-dinner walk, police said. Sharma was shot when he tried to resist the attackers, who then fled into the fields, they added.
During the incident, the suspects reportedly told the family that a man named “Vikram” had given them a contract (supari) of ₹25 lakh to kill them. The masked assailants even clicked photos of the family, claiming they were sending the images to Vikram for verification.
“During interrogation, the suspects told us that they were trying to put fear into the family, and the contract-killing theory was a diversion tactic,” ACP Rai said.
Around 11.30pm the same night, the gang targeted another house in Amrala. When Ajit Kumar, 30, opened the main door window, the suspects allegedly opened fire. A bullet hit Kumar in the neck.
Later, around 4am, the suspects reportedly entered a house in Naglaber village, police said, where they snatched earrings from a sleeping woman, the wife of Virender Singh.
The police said that FIRs have been registered by all three affected families at Bhojpur police station. According to ACP Rai, “The gang applies the same modus operandi during crime incidents.”
Itwari Lal has eight criminal cases against him, including four registered in Ghaziabad. Bharat Kumar is linked to seven cases, and Padam Lal to four. Police are currently working to trace the absconding fourth suspect.
The arrested individuals have been booked under charges of attempted murder, attempted robbery, and robbery, police said.
