Duo were planning a robbery when sleuths arrived on the scene forcing them to flee unsuccessfully; gunfight ensues and cops retaliate to save themselves
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Sleuths of the Organised Crime Wing of the Central Crime Branch nabbed two violent criminals in the city yesterday, but not without the exchange of hot lead.u00a0Vinay Kumar (27), and Dhaba Murthy (26), were conspiring to commit a robbery near Bagalagunte in Peenya police station limits around 3 am yesterday, when the sleuths reached the spot based on a tip-off.

Tool of criminal intent: The weapon that cops recovered from the duo.
(Inset) Windshield of the police vehicle, which was hit but a bullet
fired by the rowdies. Pic/Satish Badiger
Botched escape
The motorcycle-borne criminals attempted to flee the spot when the cops arrived and in the process skidded and fell into a storm water drain. The duo attempted to escape on foot, but was surrounded by the cops, after which Kumar fired on the team with his British-made revolver, but missed hitting any of them.Constable Srinivas was injured when Murthy attacked him with a machete and was shot in the thigh by Inspector Srinivas.
Meanwhile, Kumar was also shot in the thigh by Inspector Sakri and the exchange of gunfire came to an end. The police informed that the injured duo were taken into custody and shifted to M S Ramaiah hospital for treatment.
"ACP Hadimani's team surrounded Kumar while Srinivas and his team surrounded Murthy. Though we asked them to surrender,u00a0 Kumar fired at Hadimani but the shot missed him and hit a police jeep instead. Sakri opened fire and the bullet struck Kumar in the thigh," a police official said. The sleuths have registered a case and seized a revolver, sharp weapons and the motorcycle used by the accused.
Recently, the duo had attempted a robbery near Kalaghattagi in Dharwad and abandoned their SUV and fled after the police chased them. The police have been on the lookout for the duo ever since. Kumar is involved in more than nine cases, including a murder in Chamarajanagar town. He is a rowdy sheeter of Byatarayanapura police station since 2003 and Murthy also has several cases pending against himself as well.
