Kaithal, November 12: Two men from Punjab were injured in an encounter with Kaithal police on Thursday morning after they allegedly demanded Rs 1 crore in extortion from a resident of Padla village and threatened to kill him for failing to pay the amount.
The accused, identified as Gurkirat Singh of Timovala and Karambir Singh of Ranakalan, both in Amritsar district, sustained bullet injuries to their legs during a brief exchange of fire with the police near Padla-Guhla road. They were overpowered and shifted to hospital, where they are undergoing treatment, said DSP Ramesh Chander.
According to the DSP, the accused had allegedly made an extortion demand of Rs 1 crore from a Padla resident under the jurisdiction of Sadar police station. They had threatened to kill the victim if he failed to pay the money.
Taking the threat seriously, Kaithal Superintendent of Police Manpreet Singh Sudan handed over the investigation to the anti-extortion cell, which began tracking the suspects.
A breakthrough came on Thursday morning when a team led by ASI Tarsem Kumar, in-charge of the anti-extortion cell, received specific information about the accused’s whereabouts.
Acting on the inputs, the police team moved to intercept the suspects on the Padla-Guhla road. However, an exchange of fire took place, leaving both men injured.
The police subsequently overpowered the accused and took them to hospital for treatment. Further investigation into the extortion case is underway.
