Patna, April 18: A hardened criminal was shot dead this afternoon after he, along with his two accomplices, engaged police in a half-an-hour-long encounter at densely populated Tulsi Mandi area under the jurisdiction of Agamkuan police station.
The deceased, identified as Disco, was wanted in several cases of extortion. One of his two aides — Imtiaz — was arrested. The other fled.
The encounter started around 1pm after a special police team, including Special Task Force (STF) personnel, tried to intercept the motorbike-borne trio after they just hurtled down the Agamkuan bridge, connecting the bypass road and the Agamkuan area.
Confirming the shootout, Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaj said: “When the special team members intercepted the trio, the latter opened fire at the policemen and tried to flee. The cops retaliated and one of the criminals was killed. He has been identified as Disco, a hardened criminal wanted in many extortion and Arms Act cases in Patna and Nalanda. His associate who has been arrested has been identified as Imtiaz. He is also a hardcore criminal. A countrymade pistol, a 7.65 bore pistol and cartridges have been recovered from their possession. The third criminal escaped.”
Acting on a tip-off, Maharaj had constituted the special police team to arrest the three criminals, aged between 25 and 30.
“During the initial interrogation, Imtiaz said they were on their way to kill a businessman for refusing to meet their extortion demands. The police team, getting information about the criminals’ movement, waited for them at the Agamkuan-end of the bridge. Spotting the cops, the trio got off the bike and started running while firing at the cops. The police chased them and the criminals entered the Tulsi Mandi area, a business hub having narrow lanes. They uninterruptedly fired at the policemen while running. The cops had no choice but to retaliate and ultimately Disco, carrying an automatic pistol, was gunned down. He was active in the Sultanganj area in Patna City,” an officer told The Telegraph.
The last major encounter in Patna was six years ago in the Bandar Bagicha area.
