The Tribune, January 4, 2005

Inter-state gang of carjackers smashed
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 3
The Delhi Police today claimed to have busted a desperate inter-state gang of car-jackers with the arrest of four suspects after an encounter. They operated in Delhi and Gurgaon. They were arrested from near Air Force Senior Secondary School in Delhi Cantonment after the encounter. The suspects fired three rounds on the police party. The policemen also fired three rounds and overpowered them.

The suspects were identified as Raj Kumar Thapa, alias Raju Nepali, Rajbir Singh Jat, Tejpal Singh Rajput, Vipin Kumar Rajput, alias Vikki. Three country-made pistols, six cartridges, a stolen Wagon–R, Maruti 800 and two Hero Honda motorcycles, laptop computer, etc were recovered from their possession. They were involved in more than 30 incidents, police said.

The South-West district police were investigating the case of a car theft during which the police team got a tip-off about Raj Kumar Thapa, alias Raju Nepali. The police raided his house, but he had disappeared. A tip-off was received again that the suspects would assemble near Air Force School in Delhi Cantonment to commit some crime.

Policemen in plain clothes were deployed near the school. As soon as the culprits reached the spot, the policemen tried to inquire about their identity, the suspects then fired at them. The policemen opened a retaliatory fire and overpowered them. During interrogation, the suspects admitted that they were involved in a number of cases in Delhi as well as Gurgaon. During last week of December, Nepali along with three others robbed a Wagon-R. In November, they robbed a Maruti 800 from Sector 8, Gurgaon. In December-end, they stole a Hero Honda Passion motorcycle from the parking lot of G.E. Hospital, Gurgaon. They are still being interrogated, the police said.