A senior police officer was injured after a dramatic face-off between two thieves and a police team near the Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Rajasthan on Tuesday evening. The two men, identified as Shahzad and Sajid who are accused of stealing gold from Kerala, were arrested, police said.
Videos captured by locals show the police officials and thieves exchanging blows in a narrow lane after the two men fired three rounds of bullets at the cops.
On Tuesday, a team of Kerala police had reached Ajmer after receiving information that two men accused of stealing gold in Kerala’s Ernakulam district were hiding near the Ajmer Dargah. The team along with local police conducted a three-hour long search operation in the area and located the two men inside the shrine.
Since the Dargah is crowded in the evening, the police chase created a stampede-like situation and the two men took advantage of the chaos and fled the area.
In an attempt to escape the police, one of them fired three shots from a pistol. After a long chase, the police team caught the two thieves but a struggle ensued. As the two men resisted arrest, policemen were seen throwing punches at them to try to overpower them. On camera, one of the men is seen trying to run away from the police once again but he was soon chased down.
After they were caught, two pistols, seven live cartridges, a magazine, a niqab and a screwdriver were recovered from them, police said. Ajmer IPS officer Swarna Kamble sustained injuries after the clash.
Both Sajid and Shahzad are residents of Uttarakhand’s Roorkee and have several police cases filed against them in the state, police said.
