By IANS,
New Delhi : Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, one of the most highly decorated officers of Delhi Police, succumbed to his injuries after a shootout with terrorists here early Friday.
Special Cell Inspector Sharma, 44, died at the Holy Family Hospital at 7 p.m., a police officer said. He was shot thrice, with one bullet piercing his stomach.
Sharma joined Delhi Police as a sub-inspector in 1989 and soon proved himself to be a cop with a nose to the ground. He was given an out-of-turn promotion and made inspector in 1995.
Along with another high-profile police official Rajbir Singh, who was killed in March, Sharma was part of the ‘Dirty Harry squad’ of the force involved in several “encounter killings” or shootouts.
“Through his career, Sharma won six gallantry awards, neutralized 35 terrorists and arrested 80 terrorists. He arrested 120 gangsters including some of the most dreaded gangsters,” a police officer said.
Sharma reached Friday’s shootout site at Jamia Nagar in south Delhi after visiting a hospital where his son is undergoing treatment for dengue.
As soon as news of his death reached the Lodhi Road office of the Special Cell, many of his colleagues rushed to the hospital.
With misty eyes, they remembered him as a fearless, sharp and dedicated officer.
Senior officers said his death was a huge blow to the force.
Sharma also carried out operations in Jammu and Kashmir with Special Cell Assistant Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Yadav, earning appreciation from central intelligence agencies.
During a career spanning two decades, Sharma had developed a vast network and often received valuable tip-offs from his informers who he assiduously cultivated.