All-women cop team conducts first-ever encounter in Ghaziabad, arrests wanted criminal

The encounter broke out in Ghaziabad on Tuesday.

A team led entirely by an all-woman police officers conducted their first-ever encounter in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad and arrested a wanted criminal in multiple two-wheeler and mobile phone snatching cases on Tuesday.

According to ACP Nandgram Upasana Pandey, the accused, identified as Jitendra, was intercepted during a routine night checking operation targeting vehicles with hooters and tinted windows in Lohia Nagar. The operation was led by Mahila Thana SHO Ritu Tyagi, along with sub-inspectors Vineeta Yadav and Bhuvneshwari Singh and head constables Preeti and Neetu.

Jitendra, riding a two-wheeler, was asked to stop at the checkpoint but tried to escape. "When the team had tried to stop him for routine checking, Jitendra panicked and tried to flee. But his scooter slipped and he fell. As he got up and tried to run, our team chased him down. As we closed in, the accused attempted to fire at us with a country-made pistol. In retaliatory firing, he was injured on his leg and eventually overpowered," SI Tyagi was quoted by TOI as saying.

उक्त सम्बन्ध में श्रीमती उपासना पाण्डेय, सहायक पुलिस आयुक्त नन्दग्राम की वीडियो बाइट-@Uppolice https://t.co/VOUOjuBHf8 pic.twitter.com/x9XCNGSqwh

— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE GHAZIABAD (@ghaziabadpolice) September 22, 2025

The accused was taken to MMG District Hospital for treatment before being formally booked under Sections 109(1) (attempt to murder), 317(2) and (5) (dishonestly receiving stolen property), and the Arms Act. Police recovered a tablet, a mobile phone, a country-made pistol, ammunition, and impounded the two-wheeler, which is being checked for ownership.

During questioning, Jitendra confessed to stealing mobile phones, tablets, and two-wheelers across the NCR, particularly in Sahibabad and Loni, and selling the stolen items in Delhi through a network of receivers. ACP Pandey stated that he had eight previous cases of loot, theft, and snatching registered against him at Vijay Nagar police station.

Commending the swift action by the all-woman team, the ACP Pandey said, "This encounter has set a strong precedent for Mission Shakti and women's empowerment in policing."

According to SI Tyagi, the encounter and arrest were part of her duty, something she and her team were trained for. "When we go through training, there is no discrimination between men and women. We all learn how to use the weapons issued to us. When we were faced with the situation on Tuesday, we knew we had to handle it," she said.

This is not the first time an all-woman UP Police team has conducted a successful encounter. In October 2023, an all-woman squad carried out an encounter and arrested a cattle smuggler in Kushinagar district.