Jharkhand News : A member of the Rahul Dubey gang, identified as Vikas Kumar, was injured in a police encounter and arrested in Chatra district early Tuesday. The exchange of fire took place in the border area between the Tandwa and Piparwar police station jurisdictions.
According to police, Vikas Kumar was shot in the leg during retaliatory firing after criminals allegedly opened fire on the police team. He was taken into custody in an injured condition.
The injured criminal was initially admitted to a local hospital for first aid. As his condition was serious, he was later referred to Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital in Hazaribagh for better treatment.
Chatra SP Animesh Nathani confirmed the incident and said a joint police team from Tandwa and Piparwar police stations was involved in the operation.
How did the encounter take place?
The SP said police had been conducting an operation against members of the Rahul Dubey gang following a recent incident of indiscriminate firing at the office of a private work agency in the coalfield region.
A special team was formed under Tandwa SDPO Prabhat Ranjan Barwar to trace and arrest the criminals. Police teams had been carrying out continuous raids in the area.
During the operation, police received confidential information that some members of the gang were hiding in the border area. The police team immediately surrounded the area and launched an operation.
According to the SP, the criminals opened fire on the police after realising that they had been surrounded.
Vikas Kumar shot in the leg during retaliatory firing
The police team retaliated and took positions after the criminals allegedly fired at them. During the exchange of fire, Vikas Kumar was shot in the leg.
Police arrested him in an injured condition, while his other associates managed to escape under the cover of darkness.
Firing at Sush Infra office two days earlier
The police operation against the gang had intensified after an incident two days earlier in which four masked criminals, allegedly linked to the Rahul Dubey gang, entered the office of Sush Infra Company at the Chandragupt Coal Project and fired around 20 rounds.
A security guard deployed by SIS Private Security Agency was injured in the incident. The criminals also left a handwritten note at the spot, claiming responsibility for the attack.
Following the incident, police had been continuously conducting an operation against the gang. The latest encounter is being seen as a major action by Chatra Police.
Search operation continues for fleeing gang members
Senior police officers, along with the district police chief and other personnel, are reaching the spot to review the situation.
SP Animesh Nathani said a continuous search operation is underway across the area to trace and arrest the other gang members who fled from the encounter site.
