Chhapra: Police in Bihar shot and injured a well-known criminal in Chhapra on Sunday, in what authorities described as a swift response to a murder the previous day. The incident marks the second police encounter in the state in 10 days since the new government took office.
The injured man, identified as Shikari Rai, was shot in the leg during an exchange of fire in the Bishanpur area of Mufassil police station. Officers recovered two pistols and eight live rounds at the scene. Rai was immediately taken to Sadar Hospital, where he remains under police supervision. An assistant sub-inspector was also injured during the encounter and is receiving treatment at the same hospital.
Senior Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish said Rai “opened fire indiscriminately” while police attempted to recover his weapon. Rai later confessed to involvement in the murder of a 41-year-old man, Azad Singh, also known as Bhishma Rai, who was shot dead on Saturday afternoon.
According to police, Singh, a resident of Katihar district living in Uttar Pradesh, was chased for about 20 metres near the Chhapra Nagar police lines before being shot in the head at close range. Eyewitnesses said the attack occurred barely 50 metres from the police boundary, with two armed assailants pursuing Singh into a private house, where he was killed. Authorities suspect the killing was part of an ongoing gang war. Singh reportedly had more than ten criminal cases registered against him.
Shikari Rai, originally from Akhtiyarpur village in Gadkha, is facing seven cases, including murder, robbery, and extortion. Police officials say he has been under investigation for several serious offences and is part of a longstanding local criminal network involved in land deals and organised crime. Authorities are now interrogating him to map his associates and recent activities.
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This encounter follows another incident in Begusarai last Friday night, in which police injured a 27-year-old criminal, Shivdutt Rai, during a joint operation with the Special Task Force. He is accused of murdering the son of a local sarpanch. Police recovered weapons and cash from the site, and the suspect is in custody at Begusarai Civil Hospital.
