Bishnoi gang’s recce expert shot in leg, held after chase

Jaipur/Jaisalmer: A 25-year-old man suspected to be a Lawrence Bishnoi gang member was shot in the leg during a police encounter after he allegedly opened fire at police and tried to flee during a chase in Sriganganagar district Friday evening. Superintendent of police Hari Shankar identified the accused as Akash Nigam, a resident of Agra, UP. The SP added that Nigam had direct connections with the group involved in the firing incident at the residence of filmmaker Rohit Shetty in Mumbai's Juhu area on the night of Jan 31-Feb 1, and he allegedly took a contract to carry out the firing there.Investigators said the accused is linked to the Bishnoi gang and had conducted recce operations in Jaipur, Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts to execute targeted shootings. The encounter occurred when a police team was carrying out stop-and-check operations as part of a special drive against drugs, illegal arms and organised crime. During the blockade, a man wearing a black T-shirt approached on a black motorcycle without a registration number. When police signalled him to stop, the rider made a sudden U-turn and sped towards Punjab, raising suspicion. The police team chased him in their vehicle. Near a village road, the suspect abandoned the motorcycle and attempted to flee on foot. When cornered, the accused allegedly fired three rounds at the police party using a revolver. Police retaliated, shooting him in the leg and overpowering him at the spot. Police claimed to have recovered a revolver, three live cartridges, empty shells, and the unnumbered Splendor motorcycle allegedly used in the foiled escape. The injured suspect was admitted to a govt hospital for treatment of bullet injury. During preliminary interrogation, accused Nigam confessed being in contact with Punjab-based gangsters and said he conducted reconnaissance based on targets assigned by his handlers. He also revealed that about two months ago, he stayed in Bhadra area of Hanumangarh with associates to plan a firing incident. Police said further questioning is underway to uncover the full network and potential targets of gangsters with whom Nigam is associated. "We have confirmation that the accused conducted extensive reconnaissance of several targets and passed on the information to his handlers. We are investigating the case to ascertain the persons on the gang's hit list," a police official said.