Patna: A police team engaged in an encounter with suspected arms smugglers in the Fatuha police station area of Patna district, during which one accused was shot in the leg while trying to flee. Police also arrested two of his associates and recovered more than 1,200 live cartridges along with illegal weapons.
The incident took place near Sirpatpur village under the Fatuha police station limits on Wednesday night.
According to police officials, the Fatuha police and the Special Task Force (STF) received a tip-off that four smugglers had gathered on a rural road connecting Nayka Road to Sirpatpur to carry out a deal involving a large consignment of ammunition. Acting on the information, a police team reached the spot.
On seeing the police, the smugglers allegedly opened fire and fired three to four rounds. In retaliatory action by the police, one of the accused, identified as Bhola alias Sundaram, sustained a bullet injury in his leg while attempting to escape. He was later admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) for treatment.
Police arrested two other suspects — Sumit Kumar alias Gabru and Satya Rohan Yadav — from the spot, while another accused, Pintu Kumar, managed to flee.
During the operation, police recovered around 1,200 cartridges of .350 bore and two country-made pistols from a Scorpio and a Harrier vehicle used by the accused.
According to police, Bhola and Sumit Kumar are residents of Telpa village in Saran district. Satya Rohan Yadav is a resident of Barh, while the absconding accused Pintu Kumar hails from Sonaru in Fatuha.
Investigations revealed that the ammunition consignment was allegedly brought from Kanpur and was to be delivered in Fatuha. From there, the cartridges were reportedly meant to be supplied to various locations in Patna and Nalanda districts.
The seizure has raised serious questions about how such a large quantity of ammunition was transported nearly 75 kilometres from Saran to Fatuha without being detected during vehicle checks along the route.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikeya Sharma visited the encounter site after receiving information about the incident. He said the Fatuha police station officer had earlier received intelligence about an inter-district gang planning to supply a large quantity of ammunition and deal in illegal arms.
“Our team acted swiftly and foiled their plan before they could execute any major criminal activity,” the SSP said.
Police are now examining the criminal records of the arrested accused and trying to trace the source of the ammunition. Efforts are also underway to determine the gang’s intended target and identify other members involved in the network.
Meanwhile, police teams have launched raids to arrest the absconding accused.
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