Ghaziabad, UP: A Noida police constable was shot dead during a raid in Ghaziabad’s Nahal village in the Masoorie area on Sunday night while attempting to arrest a wanted criminal, police said on 26 May.

The constable, identified as 28-year-old Saurabh Kumar Deshwal, was part of a team from Noida’s Phase-III Police Station pursuing Qadir, a robbery suspect with 16 criminal cases against him.

As the police team apprehended Qadir, his associates launched a violent attack near a local panchayat bhavan, firing gunshots, hurling stones, and wielding deadly weapons. Constable Deshwal sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was rushed to Yashoda Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Deshwal, a 2016-batch officer and native of Shamli, was described by police officials as a significant loss to the department. Four other policemen — Sub-inspectors Sachin Rathi, Udit Singh, Sumit, and Nikhil — were also injured in the ambush.

Despite the chaos, Qadir was later arrested and remains in custody. He is a known history-sheeter from Thana Masoori. Police are now searching for Qadir’s brother Adil and other accomplices involved in the deadly attack.

Gautam Buddh Nagar Commissioner of Police Laxmi Singh announced ₹1 lakh in compensation to Deshwal’s family from her own salary. In solidarity, all district police personnel will contribute a day’s salary to assist his bereaved family.
(With PTI inputs)