New Delhi, November 3
Two suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba militants, who had plans to attack a posh shopping mall in South Delhi, were gunned down in an encounter with the police here this evening. No shopper was injured in the 15-minute gun battle.

The militants, in their early twenties, armed with AK-56 rifles and pistols were intercepted by a team of the special cell sleuths at the basement of the shopping centre, Ansal Plaza, in South Extension before they could take the stairs to reach the main shopping area.

When the team, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajbir Singh, tried to question them, the militants opened fire on them forcing the police to retaliate. The ultras were finally gunned down.

The encounter occurred when hundreds of people were on a last-minute shopping for Divali. Fortunately, no shopper or policeman was injured, senior police officials said even as a large number of policemen cordoned off the area and launched a combing operation to ensure that there was no other militant hiding in the area.

The militants are yet to be identified. Top Home Ministry officials held a meeting and reviewed the security arrangements in the Capital on the eve of Divali.

Soon after the encounter, the police seized an AK-56 rifle and two Chinese pistols with some cartridges.

According to the police, the terrorists had reached Ansal Plaza in a white Maruti car (DL-8C B 3241) and when they were moving towards the market after parking the vehicle in a underground parking lot, the police surrounded them.

“The encounter took place between 7.00 p.m. and 7.15 p.m. and there was no civilian casualty or injury to policemen,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Neeraj Kumar told reporters at the scene of encounter.

He said, the Special Cell had specific intelligence input about the possibility of suicide squad attack at Ansal Plaza to create panic and havoc on the eve of Divali and working on the leads, police teams had laid a trap and prevented a major tragedy.

In the wake of the incident, the police sounded a red alert and intensified patrolling in and around vital installations here.

The police also intensified patrolling in all entry and exit points, especially at airports, railway stations and inter-state bus terminus.