Criminal injured, held after chance encounter

VARANASI: A dreaded

criminal

was injured in an encounter and arrested after police teams probing a bank cash loot chanced upon a gang of cattle thieves and an exchange of fire took place between them.

The criminal Ravindra Giri, against whom 19 criminal cases are registered in various districts, suffered gunshot in his leg, while a head constable was hit in the shoulder by a bullet on late Friday night. Giri’s two accomplices managed to escape in the cover of darkness.

Jaunpur SP, Ravi Shankar Chabbi, said police teams from Machhlishahar, Baksha police stations and crime branch were carrying out investigations in a recent case of bank cash loot in Janghai area when a passerby informed them that some miscreants were attacking villagers in Tajuddinpur area after their bid of stealing buffaloes was foiled.

The joint team rushed towards Tajuddinpur and cordoned off the Badhva-Kuwarpur road and started combing the area. When the cops reached near Tilaura village, the miscreants on a pick-up saw them and tried to escape, but found themselves surrounded by police and opened indiscriminate fire.

“Umesh Kumar, head constable of Machhlishahar police station, suffered bullet injury in his shoulder in the firing by miscreants, who left the vehicle and took cover in the bushes along the road. One miscreant was hit in the leg and was arrested while his accomplices managed to escape,” the SP said.