Chhota Shakeel gang's sharp shooter killed in police encounter

Hardwar, May 10 (UNI) The sharp shooter of the notorious Chhota Shakeel's gang Mohammad Tariq was shot dead in a joint encounter of special team of Delhi police and the Special Operation Group (SOG) of Hardwar police near Roorkee late last night, police today said.

Police said that on a tip-off, a special team of Delhi police led by the ACP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav and the SOG team of Hardwar police, led by R B Chamola, surrounded Tariq on Roorkee Piran Kaliyar road while he was on his way to the city on a motorcycle after paying obeisance at the dargah of the sufi saint at Piran Kaliyar, five kms from Roorkee.

On finding himself surrounded, the sharp shooter opened fire at the police. The police retaliated, killing him on the spot, near the Solani bridge.

The ACP Delhi identified the miscreant killed in encounter as Mohammad Tariq, alias Bada Chana of the dreaded Chhota Shakeel gang.

The police recovered a 9mm pistol of British made and a large amount of ammunition from Tariq.

Tariq had more than two dozen cases of heinous crimes registered against him in Delhi and Mumbai and was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head.

SSP Hardwar Abhinav Kumar said that the Director General of the state police, Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya had announced a reward of Rs 20,000 for the police party which took part in the operation.

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