Patna, May 30 (IANS) A fierce encounter took place early on Saturday morning between the police and a wanted criminal on the Thawe-Banjari bypass under the jurisdiction of the Nagar police station in Gopalganj district.
During the exchange of fire, the accused, who had a bounty of Rs 50,000 on his head, sustained gunshot injuries to both legs in police retaliatory action and was subsequently taken into custody.
The injured accused has been identified as Akash Singh, a resident of Barhaihata village under the Thawe police station area.
According to police records, Akash Singh is a notorious criminal with more than a dozen criminal cases registered against him, including charges related to murder, attempted murder, robbery, extortion, and violations of the Arms Act.
Police officials stated that several serious cases against him have been pending for years at the Thawe, Nagar, and Kuchaikot police stations.
Among them is a high-profile case involving the alleged firing at a former village Mukhiya and extortion demands.
According to the police, a special team arrested Akash Singh based on specific Intelligence inputs.
Following his arrest, he was interrogated at the Nagar police station.
During questioning, he reportedly disclosed information regarding a weapon concealed near the Thawe-Banjari bypass.
Acting on this information, a police team took the accused to the location early on Saturday morning to recover the weapon.
Officials said that as the team approached the indicated spot, Akash Singh suddenly retrieved the hidden firearm, opened fire on the police personnel, and attempted to escape under the cover of darkness.
The police team narrowly escaped injury in the attack.
In response, officers fired in self-defense. During the retaliatory action, two bullets struck the accused in both legs, causing him to collapse on the spot.
The injured accused was immediately taken into custody and rushed to the Sadar Hospital in Gopalganj.
After receiving primary medical treatment, doctors referred him to Patna for advanced care due to the seriousness of his injuries.
Police have confirmed the recovery of an illegal country-made pistol from the scene.
Officials said that personnel from the Nagar Police Station, Thawe Police Station, and the District Intelligence Unit (DIU) played a crucial role in the operation.
The team was led by Nagar Police Station In-charge Praveen Prabhakar and Thawe Police Station In-charge Vibha Kumari.
Police have initiated further legal proceedings in the case and are continuing efforts to identify and apprehend other individuals allegedly linked to the accused’s criminal network.
–IANS
ajk/rad