Ghaziabad: A gangster, who carried a reward of ₹50,000 for his arrest and had demanded ₹50 lakh extortion from a restaurant owner two days ago, was gunned down by the crime branch of the Ghaziabad police in a shootout on late Saturday evening, officials said.
₹50000 for his arrest and has about 34 different cases against his name. (Representational image)(Unsplash)” title=”Police said that gangster Balram Singh carried a reward of ₹50000 for his arrest and has about 34 different cases against his name. (Representational image)(Unsplash)” />The police identified the deceased as Balram Singh, 48, who is stated to be the mentor of slain gangster Anil Dujana. The officials said that Singh had about 34 different cases against his name.
“The cases against him relate to heinous crimes including extortion, loot, and others, and also under the Gangsters Act. Two days ago, the suspect had demanded extortion of ₹50 lakhs from a restaurant owner in Nehru Nagar. Earlier in August, he had extorted ₹18 lakhs from an iron dealer,” said Piyush Kumar Singh, additional DCP (crime).
The officials said that there were four men who were spotted around 7.50pm during a checking operation near Wave City, but they did not stop and opened about 20-22 gunshots at the police.
“The police also retaliated with 8-10 shots, and one of the four suspects sustained bullet injuries. The three other men fled while the injured suspect was rushed to a hospital. He was later declared dead. During the shootout, three police constables and the Swat team in charge sustained gunshots, while one gunshot fired by the suspects also hit my bulletproof jacket. Five bullets fired by the suspects also hit a police vehicle. The suspect was later identified as Balram Singh, who is called the guru of slain gangster Anil Dujana,” the additional DCP added.
Earlier in May, 2023, gangster Anil Dujana was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh special task force in Meerut.
The latest crackdown against Balram Singh in Ghaziabad on Saturday night came close to another crackdown by the police on September 17, when gangsters Ravinder of Rohtak and Arun of Sonepat, both linked to the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar gang, were gunned down in an exchange of fire in Ghaziabad’s Tronica City.
The police, following the shootout at Tronica City, claimed that the two men on motorbike fired multiple rounds of fire outside Bollywood actor Disha Patani’s house in Bareilly on September 12.
The crackdown was conducted by a joint team of UP special task force, Haryana special task force, and the special cell of the Delhi police.