Chandigarh, 22 April (H.S.): Chandigarh Police on Wednesday morning apprehended a Haryana-based gangster following an encounter in the city. Around five rounds of fire were exchanged between the police and the accused before he was overpowered.

The accused has been identified as Mukesh Golu, a resident of Gohana in Haryana. He sustained a bullet injury to his leg during the encounter and was immediately admitted to the Sector 16 hospital for treatment.

According to police, specific intelligence inputs indicated that the accused was planning to carry out a major crime in Chandigarh. The Operation Cell team laid a trap near the rally ground in Sector 25 and cordoned off the area.

As the police attempted to stop him, the accused tried to flee and opened fire at the police team. In retaliation, the police fired back. A total of five rounds were exchanged during the encounter, with three shots fired by the accused and two by the police.

During the exchange, the accused was hit in the leg, after which he was overpowered and arrested. Police recovered five cartridges and weapons from the spot.

Mukesh Golu is allegedly involved in illegal arms trafficking. According to the police, he used to procure weapons from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and supply them in Punjab and Haryana. A case related to arms smuggling was already registered against him in 2021 at Maloya Police Station in Chandigarh.

Chandigarh Police had been searching for him for a long time and had declared him a proclaimed offender (PO).

The encounter reportedly took place around 6 a.m. DSP Dalbir Singh and Operation Cell Inspector Satvinder Singh were present at the scene.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH