New Delhi (PTI): Three gangsters, including two shooters allegedly behind the west Delhi food joint murder last month, were shot dead on Friday in a joint operation by the Haryana Police and the Delhi Crime Branch in Sonipat, officials said.

They said Sub-Inspector Amit of the Crime Branch was injured in the operation. The Delhi Police Crime Branch team was led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Umesh Bharatwal under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Amit Goel.

DCP West, Sonipat, Narinder Singh told PTI that a Haryana Police Special Task Force (STF) member also suffered injuries. Another police official from Sonipat said the encounter took place on Chhinoli Road in Kharkhoda.

Police identified the gangsters gunned down in the operation as Ashish alias Lalu, Sunny Kharar and Vicky Ridhana, and said all three were members of the Himanshu Bhau gang.

They said Ashish and Ridhana were the ones who shot 26-year-old Aman Joon dead at a Rajouri Garden Burger King outlet on June 18.

Joon, a native of Haryana, was attacked when he was seated with a woman at the eatery. The woman, who allegedly had 'honey trapped' him, is at large.

An associate of the two shooters, Bijender was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in Rohini on June 28. He had taken Ashish and Ridhana to the outlet on his motorcycle.

Kharar, along with Ashish and Ridhana, was allegedly involved in a shooting outside a vehicle showroom in Hisar days after Joon's murder.

A senior Delhi Police officer said the Crime Branch and the Haryana Police STF were tipped off about the trio hiding in Kharkhoda village.

When a joint team reached the spot, the gangsters opened fire at the police personnel, injuring the sub-inspector, he said, adding that SI Amit sustained a bullet wound in his thigh.

As the police team retaliated, a gunfight ensued and the three gangsters suffered critical injuries, the officer said, adding that they were declared dead later at a city hospital.

He said the Himanshu Bhau gang has been extorting lakhs of rupees from businessmen in Haryana and Delhi. The joint force seized five pistols from the encounter site, the officer added.

The killing at the Burger King outlet in Rajouri Garden was seen as part of an ongoing gang war between jailed gangsters Neeraj Bawana and Ashok Pradhan.

Fugitive Spain-based gangster Himanshu Bhau, a close aide of Bawana, took responsibility for the murder in a social media post and said his gang had avenged the killing of Bawana's cousin Shakti Singh in October 2020.

Joon is believed to have passed on information regarding Shakti Singh's whereabouts to Pradhan, police had said.

 

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Mumbai (PTI): Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor's first look as Lord Rama from producer Namit Malhotra's "Ramayana", one of the most ambitious cinematic events in the history of Indian cinema, was unveiled on Thursday.

The makers released a two-minute-38-second teaser titled 'Rama' on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, offering audiences their first glimpse into Lord Rama's world, from the battlefields to the grand palaces and dense forests, with Kapoor donning royal robes adorned with heavy gold jewellery as the king and warrior of Ayodhya.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, best known for "Dangal" and "Chhichhore", the film has been seven years in the making.

"To reach till this moment, it has personally taken me seven years. Filmmaking is a speculative and lonely process. Every moment of these seven years, I've imagined this moment as to what the reaction would be when it comes out.

"Today, looking at your reaction, I feel the seven years are worth those seven years. A lot of people have worked on this film. We hope we get much love from you all," Tiwari said at a promotional event.

The filmmaker said he was aware of the audience's emotional attachment with “Ramayana” and added that the team has tried to be as “authentic” as possible.

“...You understand the sensitivity and attachment (for ‘Ramayana’), you keep those things in mind. We’ve taken care in portraying Lord Rama, it’s very authentic is what I feel,” the director said.

The film also features “KGF” star Yash as Ravana, Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita, Sunny Deol as Lord Hanuman and Ravie Dubey as Lord Lakshman.

"Ramayana" is produced by Namit Malhotra's Prime Focus Studios and DNEG, in association with Yash's Monster Mind Creations.

A two-part live-action saga rooted in one of Indian mythology's most enduring epics, the film draws on the full might of DNEG, one of the world's leading visual effects studios, with eight Academy Awards for films including "Inception", "Interstellar", "Dune" and "Dune: Part Two".

Malhotra, who is the CEO of DNEG, described it as a “special moment”.

“We’ve made this (film) with a lot of love. Before you let it go, there’s a feeling of wanting to keep it, and we are like, ‘Are we ready to share it?’ Thanks to Nitesh and the team who have worked hard to put this labour of love.

"I’m proud of what we’ve put out. I hope you all have loved it. You don’t pick ‘Ramayana’, ‘Ramayana’ picks you,” said Malhotra.

He said the aim behind the movie is to introduce the story of the mythological epic and Lord Rama to the world.

“There are Indians all over the world. We should not be divisive that’s where we go wrong on ‘Ramayana’... It’s one world, one ‘Ramayana’ and one Rama. The idea is to show it to the entire world," he added.

The team had earlier held a grand event in Los Angeles that was attended by Malhotra, Tiwari and Kapoor.

Asked about the reason for holding an event in the US, Malhotra said, “The Indians in the America are thanking and appreciating, you need to understand the emotion of the Indian people over there.”

While post-production is underway for part one of “Ramayana”, Malhotra said filming for part two is already in progress, largely taking place indoors due to the heavy use of visual effects.

In a statement, Kapoor said the experience has been humbling.

"I don't think I'm here to represent Rama. I'm here to learn from him. There is a simplicity and purity to him that is very rare; and trying to understand and imbibe that has been a deeply humbling experience," the actor said.

The first part of “Ramayana” is slated to release worldwide in IMAX during Diwali 2026, with part two following in Diwali 2027.

The film’s crew includes renowned international artists, including Oscar-winning composers Hans Zimmer and A R Rahman, who are collaborating on the score.

The action sequences are choreographed by Hollywood stunt veterans Terry Notary and Guy Norris, and the film’s visual world is being shaped by production designers Ravi Bansal of “Dune: Part Two” fame and Ramsey Avery as “Captain America”.