NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old man suspected of stabbing a Delhi Police constable to death was shot dead in an encounter with the police late on Saturday night. The encounter took place in Sangam Vihar, a day after the constable was fatally attacked in the Govindpuri area. The deceased suspect, identified as Raghav alias Rocky, was allegedly the main assailant in the murder of Constable Kiranpal Singh, who was attacked early Saturday morning while on duty.
According to police officials, the encounter unfolded around 11:50 p.m. when a police team of five officers cornered Rocky near the Karni Singh Shooting Range on MB Road. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast), Ravi Kumar Singh, confirmed that the police had traced Rocky to Sangam Vihar after gathering intelligence about his whereabouts. When he spotted the police approaching, Rocky attempted to flee and fired at the officers using a .32 bore pistol.
DCP Singh said, “The police team asked him to surrender, but Rocky opened fire, shooting five rounds at the officers. In retaliation, the police fired back and struck Rocky in the chest and face.”
Rocky was immediately taken to the ESIC Hospital in Okhla, where he was declared dead on arrival. One of Rocky’s bullets hit Sub-Inspector Adesh Kumar’s bulletproof vest but caused no injuries. Police recovered the pistol used by Rocky and two live rounds at the scene, with a total of 10 shots fired during the encounter.
A post-mortem examination of Rocky’s body is scheduled to be conducted by a medical board on Monday.
Earlier, on Saturday, two other suspects, Deepak Singh (20) and Krish Gupta (18), were arrested in connection with the constable’s murder. Police said the two suspects were involved in the stabbing and were apprehended following a brief gunfight at an apartment in Kalkaji. Deepak, who fired three rounds at the police during his arrest, was shot in the leg before being detained.
The constable, Kiranpal Singh, was last seen on duty at a police booth near Arya Samaj Mandi in Govindpuri on Friday night. At around 4:45 a.m. on Saturday, when Constable Sunil Kumar returned to the booth after a brief absence, he discovered Kiranpal was missing, and calls to his phone went unanswered. A search was launched, and Kiranpal was found lying unconscious with multiple stab wounds near Sant Ravidas Marg, around 3 kilometers away. He was rushed to Majeediya Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Investigators revealed that the three suspects were on a motorcycle when Constable Kiranpal tried to stop them at Sant Ravidas Marg. Enraged by the officer’s attempt to block their path, the suspects attacked Kiranpal with a knife, stabbing him twice in the chest and stomach. After the constable collapsed, the assailants fled the scene on the motorcycle.
Police later identified the suspects through CCTV footage and the registration number of their vehicle. A Crime Branch team was quickly formed to track down the perpetrators, which led to the arrests of Deepak and Krish. The investigation revealed that Rocky, the main suspect, had previously used a knife to intimidate locals. Police also learned that the knife used in the murder was believed to have been in Rocky’s possession.
Rocky, a school dropout, was reportedly working part-time at an events company. His father, a truck driver, and his two sisters were unaware of his involvement in the crime, with the family believing that Rocky and his friends were out of town at the time of the incident. Investigators also found that Rocky had been hiding in the forested areas of Sangam Vihar after the murder.
Police are still attempting to recover the murder weapon, and further investigations into the suspect’s background and criminal history are ongoing.
