The recovery of the bullet-proof jackets has alarmed the Delhi police since the jackets are identical to the ones used by the Prime Minister and others dignitaries in the country whose lives are perceived as being under threat.

Since, a proper record of the sale of each and every bullet-proof jacket is supposed to be maintained by the investigative agencies, the police have initiated immediate verification of the source of the jackets. It is not yet clear whether the jackets in question were acquired (read stolen) from a private firm or from government stocks. A bullet-proof jacket costs about Rs 90,000 when purchased in bulk by government agencies, but fetch about Rs 1.3 lakh in the open retail market.

Fourgangsters, Shamsher, Rakesh, Bhoop Singh alias Mante and Ajit, were arrested after the brief encounter near the Delhi-Gurgaon border around 2.15 pm on Wednesday afternoon. The encounter came about when the police flagged down a white Maruti car during a routine road check, following which one of the occupants opened fire on the police party.

Later, a search of the vehicle revealed four weapons and a couple of bullet-proof jackets. While the .455 revolver was recovered from Shamsher, Rakesh, Bhoop Singh and Ajit were carrying country-made revolvers. The police suspect that the .455 revolver might have been stolen from a policeman since these calibre guns are standard equipment issued to the police.

Incidentally, Shamsher is allegedly involved in three criminal cases in the Sonipat district including a murder and an attempt murder. He is also believed to be involved in a murder case at an area under the jurisdiction of the Najafgarh police station on July 12. He is known to favour carrying a sawn off doublebarrel gun, reportedly a stolen one, which is easier to conceal and packs in such lethality that it's one of the few weapons prohibited by law in the United States, where guns are an off-the-shelf commodity.

Ajit and Rakesh, on the other hand, are reportedly involved in several cases of murder, dacoity, robbery and theft. It was their interrogation that led the police to apprehend another two members of the same gang, Dharambir and Satpal, at village Mitraon. They recovered another bullet-proof jacket and a 12 bore double barrel gun from them.