Patna, May 18 (IANS) An encounter between police and criminals took place under the jurisdiction of the Mairwa police station in the Siwan district of Bihar, resulting in the arrest of an accused involved in a major gold robbery case.

During the exchange of fire, the accused sustained bullet injuries to both legs and was subsequently taken into custody by the police.

He was initially admitted to a local hospital and later referred to Patna for advanced medical treatment due to his critical condition.

The arrested individual has been identified as Ankit Kumar Singh (26), son of Srinivas Singh and a resident of Chandpur Ghurghat under the Siswan police station limits.

According to a police official, he was involved in a robbery that took place on May 6 at a jewellery shop in Jamapur Market under Jiradei police station, where gold worth approximately Rs 20 lakh was looted.

Police said they had received specific intelligence about the accused’s movement.

Acting on the tip-off, a team was deployed and kept on high alert.

Ankit, who was travelling towards Mairwa block in Siwan, allegedly opened fire upon spotting the police near Bedoli Mor.

In retaliation, the police team returned fire, leading to a brief but intense exchange.

During the encounter, police bullets struck the accused in both knees, causing him to collapse on the spot.

He was immediately apprehended by the police.

Following the incident, the injured accused was taken to Sadar Hospital for primary treatment. Due to the seriousness of his injuries, doctors referred him to Patna for specialised care. Police sources confirmed that the bullets had passed through his knees, leaving him in a critical state.

Siwan Superintendent of Police (SP) Puran Kumar Jha stated, “We received information that an accused involved in the gold robbery case was heading toward Mairwa in Siwan. The police team was alerted, and during the operation near Bedoli, the accused opened fire. In retaliatory action, he was injured and has been admitted to a hospital.”

Police have launched further raids to apprehend other suspects involved in the robbery.

–IANS

ajk/dpb