PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Jan 30: Panic gripped the steel city once again late Thursday night after a dramatic encounter between police and three notorious criminals involved in the high-profile kidnapping of industrialist’s son Kairav Gandhi.
The exchange of fire took place near the Sai Temple under the Sonari police station area.
The three accused — Guddu Singh, Mohammad Imran and Rameez Raza — were injured after being hit by bullets during retaliatory firing by the police. All three are residents of Bihar and are wanted in several cases related to kidnapping, extortion and other serious crimes.
How the Encounter Unfolded
According to police sources, crucial information came to light during the interrogation of the arrested accused in the Kairav Gandhi kidnapping case. The criminals revealed that after the abduction, they had hidden weapons in bushes near the Sonari Sai Temple before fleeing the city.
Based on this information, a police team took the three accused to the spot late Thursday night to recover the concealed arms. However, the situation suddenly turned dangerous when Guddu Singh grabbed a carbine from the bodyguard of Bistupur Police Station in-charge Alok Dubey and opened indiscriminate fire on the police team.
The sudden attack created chaos at the scene. Station in-charge Alok Dubey narrowly escaped the attack, avoiding a major tragedy.
Swift Police Retaliation
Facing an immediate threat, the police responded in self-defence and fired around five rounds. During the retaliation, all three criminals were injured and collapsed at the spot. The area was immediately secured, and additional police forces were deployed.
Arms and Evidence Recovered
Police recovered several empty cartridges, three pistols and other weapons hidden in the bushes at the encounter site. The seized arms have been sent for forensic examination to determine whether they were used in earlier criminal incidents.
The injured accused were taken to MGM Hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment under tight police security. Additional personnel have been deployed in and around the hospital to prevent any untoward incident.
Criminal Network Under Scanner
Senior police officials said the three accused had been on the police hit list for a long time, with confirmed involvement in multiple kidnapping and extortion cases. Investigations are now underway to trace their wider criminal network spread across Jharkhand and Bihar.
Police believe the ongoing probe may lead to further major revelations in the coming days.