New Delhi/IBNS: A Delhi cop was murdered as he tried to stop drunk drivers during his patrolling duty in the national capital, media reports said on Sunday.

The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday when Constable Kiranpal was on his patrolling duty near Arya Samaj Mandir in Govindpuri.

28-year-old Kiranpal came across three drunk men during his patrol and blocked their escape by positioning his bike in front of their vehicle.

He even managed to seize the keys to their scooter. However, this routine check took a violent turn when the men attacked him, stabbing him to death before fleeing the scene.

Kiranpal, who joined the police force in 2018, was found in an unconscious state and gravely injured by his colleague.

He was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead.

The investigation promptly identified the assailants, sparking a manhunt.

Delhi Police and the Crime Branch tracked two suspects, Deepak and Krish, to the Kalkaji area. As they attempted to evade getting caught, Deepak fired at the police team but was shot in the leg during the ensuing encounter.

He was arrested along with his accomplice, Krish. The police then pursued the third and primary accused, Raghav alias Rocky, who had evaded capture.

A joint team from the Special Cell and Narcotics Cell moved into Sangam Vihar late Saturday night. The team closed in on the area connecting Sangam Vihar and Surajkund Road.

When officers asked him to surrender, Raghav fired on the advancing police team in a desperate bid to escape. The officers returned fire in which Raghav sustained gunshot injuries. Despite being immediately rushed to a hospital, he died of his injuries.

Police recovered Raghav's loaded pistol with two live cartridges. No police personnel were injured during the operation.