The exchange of fire broke out in the early hours when a joint team conducting a search operation came face to face with the Maoists. Officials said the gun battle lasted for a brief period before the extremists retreated into the dense terrain.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) SAS Nagar, Harmandeep Hans, while addressing the media, identified the accused as Harpinder alias Middhi, a resident of Naushehra Pannuan in Tarn Taran.
Congratulating the police for nabbing the accused within a day by acting swiftly, Chief Minister M K Stalin said no amount of strong words would suffice to condemn the inhuman crime.
When asked to surrender, the criminal - Mohammad Nafees - opened fire on the police, prompting retaliatory action in which he was shot.
The police have arrested the prime accused, Deepak Agrahari, after an encounter on Friday. He sustained a bullet injury to his leg during the operation.
According to the police, Hamza was wanted in connection with the October 1 murder of a cloth merchant named Adil, a resident of Lisadi Gate in Meerut.
According to the officials, the accused, Bhim Mahabahadur Jora, who was originally from Nepal, was wanted for the murder of a 63-year-old general physician, Yogesh Chander Paul, during a robbery at his residence in Jangpura in May 2024.
Naresh, a resident of Arni village in Khair, Aligarh district, had earlier escaped from police custody while being taken for the recovery of stolen cash.
A key suspect involved in the loot of 75 kg of silver in Mathura was killed in a police encounter near the Agra border. The looted booty has also been recovered, police said.
Two of the miscreants were injured in an encounter with the police in the early hours of Saturday.
