The innumerable bullet-marks on the car (DL-3CL -4315) bore testimony to the fierce encounter. The front seat was soaked in blood and so were several Rs-500 currency notes lying on the dashboard. A pair of shoes were lying under the driver's seat. After the downpour, puddles tinged with blood collected around the car. A number of empty cartridges lay on the road.

The encounter had taken place in full public view at around 11.30 am. A visibly shaken DCP (North) S.N. Srivastav said: ``Our aim was not to kill the criminals. The Connaught Place shootout is still fresh in my mind. Ten policemen were charge-sheeted in that case yesterday. But when the criminals opened fire today we had to retaliate. We fired 21 rounds. Yatinder Kumar died on the spot. Munna Bajrangi is critically injured''.

``As we did not want a repeat of the CP shootout, we confirmed that the men in the car were the wanted criminals. I checked the number of the car,'' he added. Holding up Yatinder Kumar's blood-soaked driving license, he said: ``The card shows his picture and his address. He is indeed the dreaded gangster involved in a number of criminal cases including a sensational double murder in Ghaziabad.''

Though the police claim to be certain that the deceased was the dreaded criminal Yatinder Kumar, he had been registered as unknown at Bara Hindu Rao hospital. Munna Bajrangi has been admitted as Prem Singh. The police explained that Yatinder was registered as unknown because the constables who brought his body to the hospital were not aware of his name. The investigating officers said that Munna Bajrangi had been registered as Prem Singh as that was his second name.

Bajrangi, who received nine bullet injuries, was admitted to the hospital at around 1 pm. When his condition deteriorated, he was rushed to the LNJP Hospital for surgery of the brain. Constable Devender Kumar's condition is said to be stable. Police Commissioner V.N. Singh said Bajrangi was a hired killer, an extortionist, was involved in a number of cases of drug-trafficking and had proven ISI links. The UP police had earlier announced a Rs-50,000 on his head. A proposal to increase the reward amount to Rs 1 lakh was pending with the UP Chief Minister.

The police claim to have recovered two pistols and several live rounds from the possession of the accused. While Bajrangi fired at the police from a 7.65 mm pistol, Yatinder used a 1.30 mm Chinese pistol.

The police narrated the day's events in a press conference: The north district police reportedly received information from the UP police this morning that two notorious criminals had left Bhadoi town and were headed to Delhi.

ACP Rajbir Singh spotted the car in Panipat and asked for assistance from DCP S.N. Srivastav. Four police vehicles chased the speeding Black Esteem and surrounded it at Mukarba Chowk near the Azadpur Subzi Mandi. The car had slowed down as there was heavy traffic in the area. The alleged criminals opened fire at the police team injuring constable Devender Singh.