Three criminals including two shooters, allegedly involved in a shootout at a West Delhi restaurant last month, were killed during an exchange of fire between them and teams of Delhi Police and Haryana Police, an official said on Saturday.

It was on Friday that a credible information was received that both the absconding shooters, identified as Ashish and Vicky will be going to Kharkhoda (Haryana) along with another associate in a mid size SUV to execute some heinous crime.

Immediately, the Delhi Police Crime Branch team swung into action and simultaneously, shared the intel with the Deputy Superintendent and one more police officer of the STF, Sonipat, Haryana Police.

Accordingly, a joint team of the Delhi and Haryana police was formed to trace the accused persons.

The joint team intercepted the suspected vehicle on Rohtak-Chinauli road at around 2040 hours on Friday, and upon sensing police presence, the suspects tried to flee. However, their vehicle got stuck in the farm, as they wanted to evade the police, taking an off- road trail.

According to police, upon being stuck, the accused persons started firing indiscriminately upon the police party from inside the vehicle and also as they stepped out.

They were warned, and asked to stop firing, and to surrender, but they did not budge to police warning and continued shooting, and a bullet hit a police sub-inspector, while other rounds also hit bullet proof jackets of DCP, Crime Branch, Amit Goel, and ACP Umesh Barthwal.

In self defense and in order to apprehend the criminals, the police party also returned fire, where in the alleged accused persons got injured.

According to the police, a total of 43 rounds were fired during the exchange-of-fire, including 24 fired by the assailants and 19 by the police teams.

The Sonipat Control Room was soon informed about the incident and ambulances were immediately called to rush the injured to a hospital.

Unfortunately, the injured, who were rushed to the hospital, were declared brought dead.

Forensic Science Laboratory Team (FSL) and experts were called at the spot by local police, while legal action under appropriate sections of law was underway by Police Station Kharkhoda, Sonipat.

Following the shootout, five automatic pistols were recovered from the shooters.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has said that its Crime Branch has been continuously working on Himanshu Bhau and his associates to curb their continuous unlawful activity in Delhi NCR region.

Accordingly, a team of the CB’s New Delhi Range, RK Puram had been persistently working to break the nexus and catch the shooters, and following the eating joint shootout, it was on ground for more than three weeks to develop information on the shooters, identified as Ashish Lalu and Vicky.