New Delhi: Savan alias Muchhoda Chacha, allegedly a member of the infamous chhaimar aka ‘kaccha baniyan’ gang, would usually murder people after robbing them.An accused in three such cases in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, the interstate criminal recently came to Delhi to strike again. He was allegedly conducting a reconnaissance of some farmhouses in south Delhi’s Maidan Garhi one morning, with the intention of committing dacoities. However, his plans were cut short when he was injured in a shootout with police, sustaining a bullet wound to his leg.“Savan’s movements were tracked based on a tip-off and a police team was scrambled to intercept him. At 6.25 am, a police informer identified a man on a motorcycle as Savan. When cops tried to intercept him, he fired from a country-made pistol. They replied with three warning rounds, following which Savan took out another pistol and fired again,” said DCP (south) Anant Mittal.A policeman, Narendra Kumar, was hit in his bulletproof jacket. In response, police fired at Savan, hitting him in his right calf. The injured criminal was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre and was later apprehended.The ‘kaccha baniyan’ gang conducts a recce of houses to be targeted and is notorious for maiming or killing people during robberies. Its members, who usually wear kacchas and baniyans, also use gloves and socks to avoid leaving behind fingerprints at crime scenes and are equipped with multiple tools. Even as some break into a house, others stand guard outside, tasked with chasing away dogs using slingshots and bricks, if needed. They do not hesitate to brutally attack anyone who crosses their path.Savan is wanted in a dacoity-cum-murder case in UP, with the Varanasi additional director general declaring a reward of Rs 1 lakh for his capture. He is also wanted in two similar cases in Mathura and Punjab.
