Dhaliwal said the movements of the gang members were tracked for two to three days and a specific input received that Bhatti would go to Kotla area to meet one of his relatives living there. Immediately a trap was laid and two teams, with sufficient fire power, were deployed.

He said when intercepted by the police, Bhatti ran inside an alley as well as opened fire at the police squad. The police retaliated and succeeded in overpowering him, Dhaliwal added.

According to the police, Bhatti has been involved in crime since 1998, and many cases of murder, robbery, extortion and attempted murder have been registered against him. He has been arrested several times.

Dhaliwal said Bhatti usually travelled by bus and other public transport in an attempt to avoid arrest. He maintained hideouts in bordering areas of the trans-Yamuna area and kept on changing hideouts from one area of Uttar Pradesh to another, he added.