Accused injured in police encounter

Varanasi: An accused was shot and injured by police in Ballia's Rasra area after he tried to attack officers with a pistol he had hidden. The encounter happened on Thursday evening when the police took him to recover the weapon used in a previous shooting incident.The accused — Manvendra Singh alias Prince Singh — booked for criminal intimidation, intentional insult, rioting and attempt to murder, was taken to CHC Rasra for treatment. According to reports, in compliance with a court order, the Rasra police took Manvendra Singh alias Prince Singh, a resident of Mundera village, into police custody from Mau District Jail. The investigating officer, sub-inspector Devi Prasad Mishra, and Rasra SHO Bipin Singh, conducted an interrogation with the accused.During questioning, the accused confessed to his involvement in the shooting of Dhannu Rajbhar, a Rasra resident. He revealed that he and his accomplices had fled the scene on two motorcycles after the incident and had hidden the weapon on the Nagahar Chandpur Dumaria road. The accused claimed he could recover the weapon, leading the police to the specified location.The SHO and his team, along with the investigator, followed the accused's directions to a specified location around 8 pm. As instructed, the police parked their vehicle by the roadside near a culvert and illuminated the area with flashlights. However, the accused suddenly distanced himself from the officers, retrieved a pistol from under the culvert, and fired at the SHO, narrowly missing him. When he attempted to fire again, the police retaliated, shooting him in the leg. The accused was immediately rushed to CHC Rasra for treatment.