Hyderabad, Oct 19 (IANS) Police in Telangana’s Nizamabad town on Sunday arrested a habitual offender who was on the run after stabbing to death a police constable two days ago.

Shaik Riyaz was captured near Sarangapur under the limits of Nizamabad Town 6 Police Station by a police team with the help of a citizen, Asif.

Nizamabad Police Commissioner P. Sai Chaitanya said that the accused was caught alive. He denied that there was any encounter.

He said there was no truth in reports being circulated on social media that police fired on Riyaz.

A police team had reached Sarangapur following a tip-off that Riyaz was hiding there in a shed. On seeing the police, he tried to escape. However, Asif, who was present nearby, tried to catch him.

As Riyaz tried to attack Asif with a knife, the police team managed to capture Riyaz after surrounding him. Both Riyaz and Asif sustained injuries in the scuffle, and they were taken to the government hospital for treatment.

A constable was allegedly stabbed to death by Riyaz after the latter was caught in connection with a bike theft case in Nizamabad on the night of October 17.

Constable E. Pramod, 42, along with his nephew, went to arrest Riyaz. Pramod was riding the bike while his nephew was pillion-riding, and the accused was made to sit between them.

The 24-year-old accused suddenly attacked Pramod with a knife. When the nephew tried to prevent him, the accused stabbed him as well. Two aides of Riyaz came on a bike and took him away. Though a sub-inspector tried to stop them, they attacked him as well.

An injured Pramod was shifted to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead by doctors. His nephew was undergoing treatment.

Taking a serious note of the incident, Director General of Police (DGP) B. Shivdhar Reddy had ordered a manhunt for the accused.

The DGP expressed grief over the death of Pramod, describing him as a sincere and dedicated officer. The state police chief had instructed the Nizamabad Police Commissioner Chaitanya to form special teams to trace and arrest him without delay.

Following, DGP’s order, the police had launched a massive hunt for Riyaz. Nine teams were formed to track him down.

–IANS

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