Burglar arrested from Ghaziabad after gunfight

A member of a burglar gang, which sometimes travelled by air to implement its heist plans, was arrested after a gunfight with the police in which he was wounded but his three accomplices escaped, a police official here said on Saturday.

Inamul Sheikh, identified as a seasoned criminal from Piyarpur in Jharkhand, was nabbed near the Ghaziabad Development Authority office late on Friday night.

Acting on a tipoff about suspicious people gathering near the office, close to the old bus stand at the Maliwara intersection, a UP Police team reached the spot and was confronted by four people who were planning a break-in, the official said.

The police team asked them to surrender. Finding themselves surrounded by police, they opened fire on the cops, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pawan Kumar said, recapping the events of the night.

In the gunfire that ensued, Sheikh (37) received a bullet wound in his leg and was arrested while his three accomplices fled the scene, Kumar said.

The absconding three have been identified as Shaviul, Motiul, and Kamruddin (27), the gang leader. During interrogation, Sheikh told the police they would stay in a rented room near the target place for a detailed reconnaissance before commiting a theft.

He said he had been in Hyderabad's Cheriapally central jail for four years in a case of currency counterfeiting. The gang would travel by air to commit their crimes, police said. Iron-cutting apparatus, including a mini gas cylinder, as well as a locally made pistol, two live, and one used cartridge, were recovered from Sheikh's possession, Kumar added.