A suspect in the Koel River shooting case was injured in a police encounter in Jharkhand's Palamu district after allegedly attempting to escape from police custody during a weapon recovery operation.
According to police, the accused, Sumit Kumar alias Sumit Chandravanshi, was taken by a police team to the Bajraha area under Sadar police station limits on Thursday morning for the recovery of the weapon allegedly used in the case. The accused is a named suspect in the Koel River shooting incident that took place under the Town police station area of Palamu district.
Police said that after the recovery operation was completed, the accused allegedly snatched a government-issued pistol from a police personnel while the team was returning and attempted to flee from custody.
During the escape attempt, the accused allegedly opened fire on the police team. Police said they retaliated in self-defence.
In the retaliatory firing, the accused sustained a bullet injury to his leg and fell to the ground. Police subsequently took him back into custody and admitted him to Sadar Hospital in Medininagar for treatment. He remains under police custody while undergoing medical treatment.
Superintendent of Police Kapil Choudhary said the accused had already been arrested in connection with the Koel River shooting case. However, the weapon allegedly used in the incident was yet to be recovered, for which he had been taken to the location by the police team.
The Superintendent of Police said a fresh case is being registered against the accused under additional charges for allegedly snatching a government weapon, carrying out a life-threatening attack on police personnel, and attempting to escape from police custody.
Following the incident, police conducted a search operation in Bajraha and adjoining areas to investigate any other suspected activity.
According to police, Sumit Kumar is a resident of Medininagar and is said to have links with a criminal gang. Three people were injured in the Koel River shooting incident, in which he is a named accused. Police said they had been monitoring his activities following the incident, and the investigation continued after his arrest.
Police said the investigation is ongoing. After the accused recovers, he will be questioned further, and additional legal proceedings will be initiated based on the recovered weapon and other evidence.
