Five criminals held in Mirzapur, Chandauli after police encounters

Varanasi: Two cattle smugglers were arrested after suffering bullet injuries during an encounter with police in Mirzapur district while three members of a gang of burglars targeting jewellery shops were arrested after police encounter in Chandauli on Monday night.

Mirzapur ASP (operation) OP Singh said that, on a tip-off, the special operation group, surveillance cell, and Adalhat police launched a checking drive near Ranibagh village on Tuesday early morning. On noticing a car piloting a truck, they signalled both the vehicles to stop. The caroccupants of car opened fire on the police. In firing by the police in self-defence, and two miscreants sustained bullet injuries in their leg while trying escape by jumping from the car.

Both the injured, identified as Abbu Sehma of Prayagraj and Mehboob Alam of Kaushambi, were taken to the district hospital, said the ASP. Two country-made pistols, live cartridges, and a truck with 32 cattle on board were recovered by the police. The smugglers were heading towards Bihar border.

Earlier, on Monday night, during a checking drive near Chahniya crossing, a joint team of Baluwa police station and SOG in Chandauli district received a tip-off about a gang of burglars. The police raided the wheat field near Dak Bungalow Mathela and asked the criminals hiding there to surrender. The criminals opened fire on the police in a bid to escape.

In retaliatory firing by the police, one of the miscreants got injured and was caught, while his two accomplices were nabbed after a chase. The injured criminal was identified as Dara Singh of Badaun. Police recovered a pistol, live cartridges, and cash worth Rs 2,500 from him. His accomplices, Bhagirath and Sunil, belonged to Auraiya and Badaun. Cops recovered bags containing a large quantity of jewellery, tools for making ornaments, and breaking shutters of shops.

The arrested criminals divulged that they used to recce jewellery shops posing as blanket sellers.They confessed of breaking into jewellery shops in Moharganj on January 12, another in Chandauli on January 7, at Majidaha market on December 11, and one at Bhimapur market of Saidpur in Ghazipur district on December 7.

They were planning to target a shop in Sakaldiha market when they were caught, while their accomplices, Khem Singh, Chhaviram, Vidya, and Naresh of Badaun district, managed to escape.