Varanasi: A police constable was shot three times and seriously injured on Friday night, October 30, after alleged illegal arms traffickers opened fire on a police team in the Lanka police station area of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, officials said. By Saturday morning, police had arrested all three accused in the case after two separate encounters.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kashi Zone) Gaurav Bansal, the Lanka police station crime team had received a tip-off that suspected arms traffickers were present in Ashutosh Nagar Colony, near Nariya Tiraha behind the Sunderpur vegetable market. When the team approached the suspects for questioning, one of them allegedly opened fire. Constable Amit Shukla was hit by three bullets — in the abdomen, back and arm — and was rushed to the BHU Trauma Centre, where he is undergoing treatment in a serious condition. Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal visited the spot and three police teams were formed to trace the attackers, according to reports. These are police allegations at this stage and remain to be proved in court.

Main accused held the same night near Lotubir

Late on Friday night, police cornered the suspects near the Lotubir temple area in Ramna. In the exchange of fire that followed, the main accused, Raj Vishwakarma, was shot in the left leg and arrested, while one accomplice escaped in the darkness, Hindi daily Saras Janvaad reported, adding that a country-made pistol was recovered from Vishwakarma. Media reports identified him as a 21-year-old resident of the Gadwa Ghat area. He was admitted to the BHU Trauma Centre under police guard.

Acting on information given by the arrested accused, a special police team on Saturday morning, October 31, took two more suspects — Anjani Jha and Raju Tiwari — to the Samne Ghat area to recover the illegal firearms allegedly hidden there. Police said both men opened fire on the team during the recovery operation and were shot in the legs in the return fire before being arrested. The firearms were recovered, and both injured accused were also admitted to the BHU Trauma Centre. What happens next will turn on the constable's recovery, the recovery evidence and the charges police file against the three accused.

Source: Daily Kiran