India, Jan. 9 -- Gunfire shattered the winter silence across parts of the Capital early Thursday as Delhi Police carried out back-to-back encounters with gang members. Three alleged shooters were injured, and several weapons were seized after the police action. The most dramatic exchange unfolded at Ghazipur Paper Market, where Crime Branch teams cornered two men linked to the Hashim Baba gang, wanted in a brutal double murder in northeast Delhi, Zafrabad.

Around dawn, police laid a trap in the cluttered lanes of the paper market. They had received specific intelligence about the suspects' movements. As officers closed in, the men opened fire. A brief but intense shootout followed. Both accused were hit in the legs and overpowered. Two C...