The pistol left by criminal. Photo: Neeraj Kumar
By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: A fierce encounter broke out between police and criminals in the Maner police station area of Patna in connection with a jewellery shop robbery in which the shop owner was shot and seriously injured six days ago.
During a raid along the banks of the Ganga in the Ratan Tola–Sadikpur locality, the accused opened indiscriminate fire on the police team. Maner Station House Officer Rajneesh Kumar and several policemen narrowly escaped unhurt. The encounter continued for a considerable time, during which the police retaliated in self-defence.
In the exchange of fire, one criminal was shot in the leg and sustained serious injuries. He was identified as Nitish Kumar, son of Subhash Rai, a resident of Chaurasi village under Suar Marwa Panchayat in the Maner police station area. The injured accused was arrested on the spot and admitted to hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.
Two other criminals, however, managed to flee during the encounter. Police have identified them and launched raids at multiple locations to trace and arrest the absconders. The police team remains on high alert and has claimed that the fugitives will be nabbed soon.
The encounter is linked to the incident on January 9, when three criminals shot and seriously injured Sanjay Soni, owner of Ganpati Jewellers on Basti Road in Maner, during a robbery. After the attack, the assailants fled, abandoning their motorcycle at the spot. Subsequent investigation revealed that the bike had been stolen from the Rajiv Nagar police station area and was used to carry out the crime.
Upon receiving information about the encounter, Patna West City SP Bhanu Pratap Singh and Danapur DSP-2 Amarendra Kumar Jha rushed to the spot. They inspected the site and issued necessary instructions to the police team for further action. The SP said a special team had been constituted on the directions of senior officers to arrest those involved in the crime.
SP Bhanu Pratap Singh said the raid was conducted in the Ratan Tola–Sadikpur area after receiving specific intelligence that the criminals were hiding along the Ganga riverbank. As soon as the police team arrived, the accused opened fire, prompting retaliatory firing in which Nitish Kumar was injured. Raids are continuing to trace the remaining two accused.
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