A major encounter unfolded between the Special Task Force (STF) and criminals in the Jhinjhana area of Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh, resulting in the deaths of four gang members. According to reports, the notorious Mustafa Kagga gang had surrounded Arshad, a resident of Badi Mazra, Saharanpur, along with his three associates—Manjeet, Satish, and another unidentified individual.
In response, Arshad and his companions opened fire. STF ASP Brijesh Kumar stated that in the retaliatory firing, all four criminals, including Arshad, who carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh, were killed.
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Arshad had over a dozen cases of robbery, dacoity, and murder registered against him. During the encounter, Inspector Sunil, who led the STF operation, sustained two bullet wounds to his stomach. He was immediately taken to Amritdhara Hospital in Karnal, and due to his critical condition, was referred to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram for advanced treatment.
In-charge, Karnal Civil Line Police Station, Shri Bhagwan, said, "The information we received is that STF, UP Police, Inspector Sunil was injured by gunshots. After initial treatment, he was referred to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. The pilot vehicle was arranged by us, and the DSP also accompanied the ambulance. Full details are yet to be received, but the incident occurred near Shamli."
The deceased criminals have been identified as:
Arshad, son of Jameel, a resident of Badi Mazra, Saharanpur.
Manjeet, son of Mehtab, from Rohat, Thana Kharkhoda, Sonipat.
Satish, son of Raj Singh, from Ashok Vihar, Thana Madhuban, Karnal.
The fourth criminal is yet to be identified.
This encounter follows another operation on 23 December, where UP and Punjab police jointly killed three Khalistani terrorists in Pilibhit. The terrorists, part of the ‘Khalistan Zindabad Force,’ were armed with two AK-47 rifles and two pistols.
They had previously thrown grenades at the Gurdaspur outpost. A forensic team from Lucknow recently revisited the Pilibhit encounter site to reconstruct the sequence of events. Pilibhit SP Avinash Pandey provided details during the inspection.