Gurgaon: Two alleged cattle smugglers were killed and a third critically injured in an exchange of fire with police in Nuh’s Bima village early on Sunday. The suspects allegedly opened fire when a police team signalled their pickup truck to stop, prompting the cops to retaliate. A policeman was also injured in the gunfight.The men were allegedly transporting seven cows when a crime investigation agency (CIA) team from Ferozepur Jhirka intercepted them near Bima around 4.30am. According to police, the team had received a tip-off about cattle being transported illegally and set up a barricade in the area. When signalled to pull over, the truck’s occupants allegedly opened fire at the cops. Police retaliated, triggering an exchange in which all three occupants suffered bullet injuries. A constable was also hit by a bullet.The injured trio were rushed to Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Medical College at Nalhar, where two of them succumbed to their injuries. They were identified as Gabbar alias Hadiya, from Rajasthan’s Dausa, and Sabir. The third, Tahir, a resident of Ghatmika in Rajasthan’s Deeg district, is undergoing treatment.Tahir, police said, has 10 criminal cases registered against him, including those related to murder and cattle smuggling, while Gabbar faced a dacoity case in Nuh. Police are still checking Sabir’s criminal antecedents. “The autopsies of the deceased have been conducted. The cattle were being transported to Fondawas for delivery to a man identified as Waris, who also has four to five cases registered against him,” a police officer said.Apart from seven animals, police recovered three country-made .315-bore pistols, three live cartridges and five empty cartridge cases. The vehicle was also seized.A magisterial inquiry was initiated into the deaths. “We have kept the bodies in the mortuary and informed the families. A magisterial inquiry has been initiated into the matter,” a senior police officer said.This was the second encounter involving suspected cattle smugglers in Nuh in a month. On Oct 15, Shahid alias Advani (27), a resident of Kharkhari village in Nuh, was killed near Silani village on the Gurgaon-Nuh border. Police had intercepted his SUV around 4.30am after receiving information that it was carrying two cattle. Its occupants allegedly opened fire, following which police retaliated. Shahid died, while his two associates escaped.According to police, Advani faced more than 30 criminal cases, including those related to cattle smuggling and ATM thefts.The pattern of armed resistance surfaced in other Nuh encounters too. On Sept 20, two suspected smugglers were injured and arrested after their SUV allegedly broke through a police barricade near Ghasera village. Police said two accomplices escaped after an exchange of fire. Three cattle, two illegal firearms and seven cartridges were recovered.Earlier, on June 9, a pickup carrying five cattle allegedly breached a police blockade near Badi Kothi on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. During the chase, its occupants allegedly fired at a CIA team. One suspect, Aslam, was shot in the leg and arrested, while another escaped.
