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New Delhi: New Delhi: Two suspected terrorists were gunned down and one was arrested while two managed to escape after a dramatic shootout in a congested Muslim majority locality in south Delhi on Friday.

The gun battle that started at about 10.30 am in Jamia Nagar near the Jamia Milia University went on for about one-and-a-half hours during which the suspected terrorists were holed up inside a fourth floor apartment.

A huge cache of weapons was recovered from the house and an inspector of the Delhi Police was hurt, police said.

Of the two terrorists shot dead, one has been identified as Atish. The man arrested has been identified as Saif, a police official disclosed.

Police, helped by commandos of the elite National Security Guard (NSG), surrounded the house L-18 in the rabbit warren of the Jamia Nagar neighbourhood after a tip off following a reported confession by a leading militant who was arrested after the July 26 Ahmedabad bombings.

“There were a total of five people at L-18. Two have been shot dead, one has been arrested while two have managed to escape,” said Karnail Singh, Joint Commissioner, Special Cell.

“There was firing for the last two hours. I saw two people being shot but their faces were covered soon after,” added an eyewitness and resident of the area, Maseer Alam.

There was tension in the narrow bylanes of Jamia Nagar with shops downing shutters and more than 5,000 police personnel being deployed. Angry residents were out on the streets with some saying that police had staged a “fake encounter.”

The shootout comes six days after serial blasts struck the heart of the capital’s busiest markets killing 24 people and injuring over 100.

More Details:

Two militants were killed and two Delhi Police personnel were injured in a fierce encounter in Jamia Nagar of south Delhi on Friday.

Atiq, wanted in connection with the serial blasts in Ahmedabad and Delhi, and one of his associates were killed when a police team stormed the house where they were holed up, Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnail Singh told reporters at the end of the encounter that lasted more than an hour.

While one militant was arrested, two managed to escape during the operation, he said.

Mohan Chand Sharma, an inspector who led the team, and a head constable were injured in the heavy exchange of fire.

The police team had gone in search of the militants after the prime suspect in the Ahmedabad serial blasts Abu Basher had identified the four-storied house near a mosque in Jamia Nagar where he along with Delhi serial blasts mastermind Mohammad Subhan Qureshi had taken shelter in July.

Basher was brought to Delhi on Thursday from Ahmedabad for questioning after the last week’s serial blasts in Delhi that claimed 24 lives.

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Rediff.com Says:

The Delhi [Images] police on Friday shot dead two persons, suspected to be terrorists involved in the September 13 blasts, in a lane near the Khalifullah mosque in South Delhi’s Jamia Nagar.

“The special cell got information from the control room and came here to nab the men. From the information we have now, two persons were killed and two of the special cell policemen have sustained bullet injuries,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) HGS Dhaliwal.

Though the area falls under his jurisdiction, the operation was carried out by the special cell of the Delhi police, which handles high profile criminal and terrorism cases.

Dhaliwal said the operation was not in a mosque as some rumours suggested. The police said, based on the information they had, they reached the L-18, near Batla House, at around 11 am to apprehend the suspects.

The police said the suspects opened fire and they had to retaliate. Special Cell Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma took a bullet in his abdomen and a head constable was injured, the police said.

The police said of the five suspects, one was injured and arrested while two managed to escape.

The locals said the police started the combing operation as early as 9 am. The locals also said they were not sure if there was any crossfire. Soon after the firing ended, some the residents raised slogans against the establishment and the police.

“Last time also, they came into the area a day before Id and conducted a similar operation. There must be a thorough probe and it should be clearly established if those killed were really terrorists,” Salim Mohammed, a resident said.

The police are searching for the two suspects in the neighbourhood.

Atiq, a terrorist wanted in connection with the serial blasts in Delhi and Ahmedabad [Images], and his associate were killed in the encounter.

Acting on intelligence inputs, the police raided the house where Atiq and four other militants were holed up, the police said.

In the exchange of fire that ensued, Atiq and another terrorist were killed, Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnail Singh told reporters.

While one terrorist was arrested, two managed to escape during the operation, he said.

Mohan Chand Sharma, who led the team, and a head constable were injured in the heavy exchange of fire.

Sharma suffered a bullet injury in the abdomen, Dhaliwal said.

The police team had gone in search of the terrorists after the prime suspect in the Ahmedabad serial blasts Abu Basher had identified the four-storied house near a mosque in Jamia Nagar where he along with Delhi serial blasts mastermind
Mohammed Subhan Qureshi had taken shelter in July.

Basher was brought to Delhi on Thursday from Ahmedabad for questioning after the last week’s serial blasts in Delhi
that claimed 24 lives. Indian Mujahideen [Images], a shadow outfit of the Students Islamic Movement of India and Lashkar-e-Tayiba, had claimed responsibility for the Delhi attack.

Dhaliwal rubbished reports that the encounter took place in a mosque.

Meanwhile, 40-year-old Balwant, one of the two policemen of the special cell involved in the encounter with the terrorists in Jamia Nagar, is now recuperating from bullet injuries at the AIIMS’ Trauma Centre.

Mohan Chand Sharma who also received bullet injuries in the abdomen during the encounter, is undergoing surgery at the Holy Family Hospital at Okhla Road.

“The condition of Balwant is stable. He has a gunshot injury in the right arm. We are going to operate on him soon,” Sushma Sagar, assistant professor, surgery, AIIMS Trauma Centre, told PTI.

“We have also got to see if the gunshot has fractured any of his bone and torn muscles and and nerves,” she added.

Sagar also confirmed that two persons were brought dead along with the police officials.

Police said two terrorists and two officers of their special cell were injured in the encounter.

Zeenews Says:

Terror once again came to haunt the national capital on Friday. In an encounter in the Jamia Nagar locality in South Delhi, two militants were killed by the Special Cell of Delhi Police while another was arrested. However, according to Karnail Singh, Joint Police Commissioner, two terrorists managed to flee from the spot.

Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chandra Sharma and Head Constable Balwant were also injured in retaliatory indicating that the terrorists were well armed. The encounter began at around 11.15 am when the militants first fired and provoked the police. The exchange of fire lasted 45 minutes.

The terrorists were believed to have been holed up on the fourth floor of house number L-18, behind Khalilullah mosque in the Batla House area.

Police confirmed that the militants were a part of the team that carried out the recent serial bomb blasts in Delhi. Sources said the encounter began when police went to the area and was looking for one Atif, said to be a key associate of SIMI activist Abdul Subhan alias Tauqeer, the alleged mastermind behind Ahmedabad blasts who is also wanted in connection with the Delhi terror strike.

Atif alias Bashir was killed in the shoot out along with one Khudib Fakrruddin. Both are believed to have had a hand in Ahmedabad blasts. Another terrorist Mohammed Saif has been arrested. He is injured.

Besides one AK-47 rifle and two pistols, police have also recovered close to 30 rounds of ammunition along with huge amount of explosives. However, the recovery of some incriminating documents, one phone dairy and a few CDs could help the investigating agencies in identifying terror sleeper cells spread across the country.

Two other militants who managed to escape from the rear exit of the building and are at large. The entire police machinery is conducting search operations at the moment. All borders to Delhi have been sealed. The forensic team has also reached the scene to carry out further investigations.

There is speculation that one of the terrorist who managed to get away may be Tauqeer. His associates may have given him cover fire to ensure his safe exit.

Police also confirmed that prime accused Tauqeer used to live in this area before he disappeared in 2001. As per police sources, the killed militants belonged to Azamgarh in UP. Incidentally, Bashir also hails from the same area.

Media reports suggest that the tip off about militants being entrenched in the area came from Abu Bashir, who was brought to Delhi yesterday for interrogation. He is believed to have revealed a total of three hideouts.

The presence of militants in the heart of Delhi, points to serious lapses in the security apparatus. Incidentally, SIMI’s national headquarters is located in the same area before it was closed down following its ban in 2001.

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