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Ghaziabad, India — A wanted criminal carrying a Rs 50,000 reward and more than 100 registered cases was arrested after a police encounter in the Link Road police station area, officials said. The suspect, identified as Farman, alias “Nagin,” was wounded in both legs during the shootout and later taken to hospital.
ACP Sahibabad Amit Saxena said the arrest was part of an ongoing campaign against crime and criminals directed by the Police Commissioner. Acting on intelligence that Farman, an accused in a car theft case, was expected to pass through the Brij Vihar outpost area, a joint team from the Crime Branch and Link Road police set up a vehicle checkpoint at Suryanagar intersection.
The operation began with routine vehicle checks. Officers at the checkpoint spotted a white car without a number plate approaching. The driver refused to stop, opened fire, and sped away. The police team pursued the car through the Radhakunj area and onto an unpaved track, where the road ended in a dead end. With nowhere to go, the suspect stepped out of the car and fired at the police again. ACP Saxena described the suspect’s action as firing “with the intent to kill.”
Police returned fire in what the officer described as self-defense. The suspect was struck in both legs and fell. He was identified as Farman, also known by the alias “Nagin.” In Hindi, the word “naagin” means serpent—an apparent reference to how hard the man had been to catch.
Farman’s background is the reason this arrest stood out. According to Saxena, more than 100 criminal cases have been registered against him. The list includes more than two dozen cases of robbery, more than three dozen cases of snatching, and more than three dozen cases of theft. He has also been charged under the Gangsters Act in three separate instances.
The Gangsters Act, formally the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, is a state-level law designed to go after people who operate as part of a gang. Being booked under it three times suggests the police have long treated Farman as more than a lone street criminal. The statute gives police additional tools such as stricter bail scrutiny, surveillance, and, in some cases, forfeiture of property linked to criminal activity.
Officers recovered an illegal .315 bore pistol from the wounded suspect, along with spent and live cartridges. More notably, they seized a device described by police as being used for stealing high-end cars.
That last item matters for a practical reason. In and around Delhi-NCR, car theft has become increasingly sophisticated. Some thieves now use small electronic devices that can capture or relay signals from a key fob, allowing the car to be unlocked and started without the owner’s key. The exact type of device recovered was not disclosed, but police said it would form part of the evidence in the case.
The white car used by the suspect was found at the dead end. The lack of a number plate also drew attention because vehicles linked to crime are sometimes driven with fake or missing plates to avoid CCTV detection. Police did not say who owned the car or when it was last registered; those details are expected to emerge as the investigation continues.
For readers outside India, the word “encounter” in this context does not mean a casual meeting. In Indian police parlance, it refers to a gunfight or exchange of fire between police and suspects. The term covers both planned operations and spot checks that turn violent.
In this case, police allege that the suspect fired first, both at the initial checkpoint and again at the dead-end road. The officer’s account presents the police response as defensive action. As with any police shooting, the details will be examined through standard procedures, including statements, medical records, and physical evidence.
Farman’s capture fits a broader law-and-order push in Uttar Pradesh to target offenders with long criminal histories rather than only first-time suspects. The police commissioner’s directive, according to Saxena, is aimed at curbing street crimes like snatching, robbery, and vehicle theft. The cooperation between the Crime Branch and local police in this case is also part of a stated policy of acting quickly on specific intelligence.
The reward on his head — Rs 50,000, or about $600 — is modest by international standards but reflects how much local police wanted him off the street. Larger bounties are common for murder or gang-related suspects; for a repeat theft-and-snatching offender, a 50,000-rupee bounty is significant because it draws public attention to a person who had repeatedly slipped away.
Farman was sent for medical treatment after the encounter. Once he is cleared by doctors, he will be produced before a magistrate as required by Indian law. The recovered pistol and the car-theft device were placed into evidence, and an investigation is continuing.
This report was updated on May 9, 2026.
