Four cattle smugglers held after encounters

Varanasi: Four cattle smugglers were arrested in twin encounters with Nijamabad and Phulpur police in Azamgarh early Thursday.Azamgarh CO (Phulpur) was on night patrol when Phulpur cops got a tip around 2:15 am about a criminal hiding near Mudiyar village. During the raid, the suspect opened fire at the police team trying to surround him.The police returned fire, hitting one suspect in the leg. Two accomplices were caught after a chase. The injured suspect, Mohd (22) from Kaudiya village, was rushed to a hospital. Police seized a country-made pistol, cartridges, two cleavers, and phones from hs possession.The other arrested criminals, Sakib and Yusuf, divulged that their gang used to catch cattle in a planned manner. Meanwhile, Nizamabad cops were conducting a checking drive at Sentarwa when they got a tip about cattle smuggler Meraj and his associate Nasir on the Newada-Badhariya road. Seeing the police, Meraj and Nasir tried to flee on their motorcycle The accused also opened fire at the police team. In retaliation, Meraj suffered a bullet injury in the leg and was caught, while his accomplice, identified as Nasir, managed to escape. TNN