A late-night police operation turned deadly in Nahal village of Ghaziabad on Sunday as Constable Saurabh Kumar of the Noida Police lost his life during an attempted arrest of a wanted gangster. The operation escalated into violence when a mob attacked the police team with stones and gunfire, leading to multiple injuries among law enforcement personnel.

The raid was conducted by a team from Phase-3 Police Station, Gautam Budh Nagar, following intelligence that the suspect, identified as Qadir alias Manta, was hiding in the Masuri area. Qadir is a known history-sheeter with over two dozen criminal cases, including robbery and offenses under the Arms Act.

“We received information from the Gautam Budh Nagar police about the firing incident and that constable Saurabh Kumar, aged about 26, had sustained a gunshot injury, and he was taken by his team to a hospital in Ghaziabad. There, he was declared dead by doctors,” said Surendra Nath Tiwary, DCP (Rural Zone), Ghaziabad Police Commissionerate.

When the team arrived at the location around midnight and managed to apprehend Qadir, he began shouting loudly, allegedly signaling his nearby associates. Within moments, between eight and ten men emerged and attacked the officers with stones and bullets. The confrontation occurred approximately 100-200 meters from Qadir’s residence.

“The moment Qadir began shouting, chaos broke out. The attackers opened fire without warning,” a senior police official told Aaj Tak. In the ensuing ambush, Constable Saurabh was shot in the head. Despite efforts to save him at Yashoda Hospital, doctors pronounced him dead. Two to three other officers, including Constables Sonit and Sachin, sustained injuries and are recovering.

Qadir’s residence a lavish, three-storey house outfitted with CCTV surveillance is believed to have been constructed with proceeds from illegal activities. A police source described it as being “fortified like a criminal citadel.”

FIR has been Lodged

The FIR lodged by the police recounts the chilling moment, “When we nabbed Qadir, he started shouting and telling his accomplices that police were taking him, and they should hit them. Upon hearing this, a lot of people gathered and started shouting that these were policemen, and today, they should be buried. When we made Qadir sit in our vehicle, his brother and others started shouting that police were taking along his brother, and they indiscriminately started to fire at police. Constable Saurabh got a bullet hit in his head, and another constable, Sonit, also fell down.”

It continued, “When we were taking along injured constables Sachin, Sonit, and others, the mob again opened fire and resorted to stone-pelting while circling the police vehicle. One of our team took constable Saurabh to a hospital where the doctors declared him dead…”

Interestingly, local Ghaziabad police officials noted they were not informed in advance about the raid by Noida Police, a fact now under internal review. “However, we will get this verified,” the DCP added.

Qadir Attempts to Escape the Raid

During the chaos, Qadir attempted to escape once again but was caught and re-arrested by the police. Several of his accomplices, however, managed to flee. Authorities have now formed multiple search teams to track down those involved in the deadly ambush.

Following the constable’s death, senior officers from the Noida Police Commissionerate reached the scene to monitor developments. His family has been informed, and a sense of deep mourning prevails throughout the police department.

The Masuri Police have registered a case under 13 sections, including charges of murder, rioting, assault, and violation of the Arms Act. Police forces, including PAC personnel, have been deployed to secure the area and maintain law and order.

Officials have vowed strict and swift action. “The accused will be arrested soon, and the culprits will be punished severely,” a senior official said.