Patna: Three criminals were killed in an encounter between police and criminals in Patna, the capital of Bihar, early Friday morning. The encounter took place in the Sherpur area on the banks of the Ganges River between a joint team of the Special Task Force (STF) and local police. Station House Officer (SHO) of Maner police station, Rajneesh Kumar, was also injured.
According to police, the encounter occurred around 3 a.m. Friday in the Maner police station area. The three killed accused have been identified as J.P. Yadav, Suraj Kumar alias Raja Sharma, and Bablu Kumar. Police say all three had criminal records and were wanted in several cases, including murder.
Information received about a major crime being planned
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikeya K. Sharma arrived at the scene after receiving information. He stated that STF and district police teams were conducting operations in different areas. Meanwhile, police received information that three criminals had gathered in the Sherpur area and were planning a major crime.
When the police team arrived at the scene based on information, the criminals allegedly opened fire on the police. In response, the police also returned fire. A bullet grazed the hand of Maner SHO Rajneesh Kumar, injuring him.
Doctors declared all three dead at the hospital
After the firing stopped, police arrived at the scene and found three people lying injured. Police immediately rushed them to the hospital, but doctors declared all three dead.
Police recovered two pistols, a country-made pistol, and several empty cartridges from the encounter site. According to police, several rounds of fire were fired during the encounter. 24 rounds were fired by the criminals and 18 by the police. The bodies of all three have been sent for post-mortem examination.
Accused of involvement in the murder of the PACS president
Danapur-2 Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) A.K. Jha stated that the three slain accused were allegedly involved in the murder of Sanjeet Kumar, alias Bholu, president of the Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) in Maner.
According to the SDPO, Bablu Kumar and Suraj Kumar were allegedly the shooters, while J.P. Yadav was identified as the main conspirator.
The three accused were wanted in connection with this murder, as well as other criminal cases registered in different police stations. Police are further investigating the encounter and examining evidence recovered from the scene.