Gadoli encounter: FSL report says cops’ injuries not caused by bullets

MUMBAI: A ballistic report of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has said that the claims of two Gurgaon cops that they sustained bullet injures in the firing at gangster Sandeep Gadoli in a hotel in Andheri on Feburary 5 were false.
A Gurgaon police team, led by police inspector Pradyuman Yadav, shot Gadoli outside his hotel room and claimed that they did so in self-defence.Gadoli's family refused to claim his body, stating that it was a case of fake encounter.
The report, which has been accessed by TOI, states that the injuries of the two policemen—Vikram Singh and Paramjeet Singh, who claimed they were shot at by Gadoli—were not caused by bullets. “Constable Vikram claimed that a bullet brushed his forehead but the FSL, after examining his injuries, stated that the wound seems to have been caused by a blunt object or the butt of a gun. Paramjeet’s left leg injury too looks superficial,” said an official.
The post-mortem report and medical examination of Gadoli’s body by FSL experts too state that he was shot at from a point-blank range. The Gurgaon police had said they had shot five rounds at Gadoli and the latter fired five rounds at them and that it happened in 5 minutes but the FSL rubbished the claim.
“The ballistic experts have refused to believe that 10 rounds were fired in such a short period of time. Secondly, the timing of the firings too do not match. The Gurgaon police, in their FIR, stated that the incident took place at 11.20am, but the hotel CCTV camera footage shows a different time,” said the official.
The special investigation team (SIT), headed by assistant commissioner Avdhoot Chavan, on Monday filed a plea before the 37th metropolitan magistrate to issue a non-bailable warrant against the eight accused, including five cops. The court has reserved the order and is likely to deliver it on Wednesday. On Monday, some SIT members carried out searches in Gurgaon for eight policemen, who have gone into hiding. The SIT is likely to include Gurgaon ACP Rajesh Gujjar and gangster Birandra Gujjar, who is in Gurgaon jail, as accused. Gadoli’s family has alleged that he was shot at the instance of Gujjar.