Bhopal murder accused shot in leg during police encounter in Ratibad

Bhopal: The prime accused in the Ashoka Garden murder case was injured in a police encounter in Ratibad forest area on Wednesday. Police said the accused, identified as Asif Qureshi, was surrounded and asked to surrender, but he attempted to flee into the Samsapura Kotra forest area. When cops chased him, he opened fire with a country-made pistol. In retaliatory action, sub-inspector Afsar Khan fired at the accused, and the bullet hit his right knee from behind, causing him to collapse on the spot, added cops.Police commissioner Sanjay Kumar said the police team acted in self-defence and the accused is currently undergoing treatment at the Hamidia Hospital in the emergency ward. His condition is stated to be out of danger. Police said the accused was on the run after the murder of restaurant owner Vijay Mewada in Ashoka Garden. Multiple teams were deployed to trace him.Following the tip-off, a police team led by Ashoka Garden SHO Anurag Lal and SI Afsar Khan of Jehangirabad police station reached the spot around 11:50 am. Police recovered the country-made pistol used by the accused, a spent 7.65 mm cartridge fired by him, and a 9 mm cartridge fired from the service revolver of SI Afsar Khan from within a radius of about 20 feet at the spot.