Delhi Police on Friday arrested two men wanted in connection with the abduction and murder of a dairy owner in Ghaziabad’s Loni area last month, following an exchange of fire with the crime branch in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, officers said.Two wanted in Loni dairy owner murder case arrested after shootout in Malviya NagarPolice said two firearms, including a semi-automatic Beretta pistol, four cartridges and a stolen motorcycle were recovered from the accused. Both men carried a reward of ₹50,000 each.The accused were identified as Saurabh alias Bhola, 25, and Gopal, 23. According to police, both sustained gunshot injuries to their legs during the encounter, while a bullet allegedly fired by them struck the bulletproof vest of assistant commissioner of police (crime) Satendra Mohan.Special commissioner of police (crime) HGS Dhaliwal said the arrests also helped prevent an alleged abduction-for-ransom plot and a planned murder that the two were purportedly preparing to carry out.The arrests are linked to the May 30 abduction and killing of dairy operator Ompark alias Oman in Loni. According to Ghaziabad Police, Oman was allegedly abducted by a group of at least five men, shot dead and his body thrown into the Upper Ganga Canal in Muradnagar. Two other suspects, Mohit and Gaurav, were arrested earlier in connection with the case.Police said the Delhi crime branch received information on Thursday evening that two absconding suspects in the case were moving around south Delhi. Acting on the tip-off, a team launched a search operation.Around 2am on Friday, the team spotted the suspects riding a motorcycle near Aurobindo College and signalled them to stop. Police alleged that the men opened fire while attempting to evade arrest, prompting the team to retaliate. Both suspects were subsequently apprehended and taken to hospital for treatment before being formally arrested.Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said one bullet allegedly fired by the suspects struck ACP Mohan’s bulletproof vest during the operation.According to Dhaliwal, preliminary interrogation revealed that the killing stemmed from a long-running family dispute. Police alleged that Gopal’s brother had earlier been killed in the dispute and that the accused targeted Oman in retaliation because he was related to one of the suspects in that case.Further investigation is underway.