Overview
- Naveen Kumar, wanted in over 20 cases including murder and organised crime under MCOCA, was critically injured after opening fire on a joint UP STF and Delhi Police team.
- Intelligence indicated Kumar intended to regroup with gang associates for a planned targeted killing, prompting the late-night operation in Hapur.
- A resident of Ghaziabad’s Loni area, Kumar served as a key enforcer under gang lieutenant Hashim Baba and held two Delhi murder convictions.
- He was linked to the December 2024 murder of a utensils businessman in Delhi’s Farsh Bazar area, reportedly killed in a case of mistaken identity.
- The encounter underscores intensified collaboration between the UP STF’s Noida unit and Delhi Police’s Special Cell against organised crime networks.