Gangster ‘Dynamite' Khaleel defused by ‘police bullet’

A hardened criminal with a history of violence discovered on Tuesday that the old saying ‘he who lives by the gun, dies by the gun’ was very much true.

‘Dynamite’ Khaleel, 38, who has a long history of robbery and intimidation, was badly wounded on Tuesday night after a shootout with police in KG Halli, East Bengaluru, on Tuesday night.

The shootout happened after a team of police led by KG Halli Inspector Ajay Sarathy went to take Khaleel into custody, following a tip-off about his location. Sarathy was almost killed when Khaleel allegedly opened fire without warning, using a 6 mm pistol.

Police retaliated by returning fire. Two bullets struck Khaleel in the legs and he surrendered. He was rushed to Bowring Hospital for treatment, where he is said to be recovering.

S D Sharanappa, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), said it was not yet certain if the pistol was manufactured in Italy or if it was a country-made weapon. “The weapon has been sent to ballistics for testing,” he said.

A 6 mm pistol round is highly unusual, although such calibres of rifle ammunition do exist. The officer said Khaleel had over 16 criminal cases pending against him, dating back to 2003, including multiple cases of extortion, assault and a case of murder. The resident of Venkateshpura was also known for threatening people at gunpoint for ransom. On at least two separate occasions, he is known to have fired a gun to carry out his crimes, Sharanappa said.

Khaleel’s undoing came after he recently opened fire at a rival, ‘Chatni’ Saleem. Although he went into hiding soon after, an informant tipped off the police about his location. Khaleel is a known associate of Rasheed Malabari, a Mangaluru-based underworld figure.