UP Police constable injured after criminal and family fire at police team, dies

They said Rathi was part of the police team that had gone to arrest a 52-year-old criminal against whom a non-bailable warrant (NBW) was issued by a local court after he jumped bail.

The accused has 20 cases, including those of murder, dacoity, and robbery, filed against him at the Vishungarh police station, said a police officer. The criminal’s wife is the former pradhan of the village, which is around 55 km from the district headquarters.

Prashant Kumar, Special Director General, Law and Order, said, “The history sheeter, his wife, and son have been arrested in the case.”

The police said the criminal’s wife was arrested for allegedly helping her husband and son and being involved in action against the police force.

A police officer said when the team reached the accused’s house, he and his 16-year-old son opened fire at the team from inside. Amit Kumar Anand, Superintendent of Police, Kannauj, said Rathi was injured in the firing.

“The history-sheeter and his son opened fire in which Sachin Rathi got injured. In reply, the police also fired during which the history-sheeter and his son suffered a bullet injury each on their legs,” said a police officer.

After they were arrested, the injured were rushed to a hospital where doctors referred Rathi to Kanpur.

Acting on information about the accused’s presence in the house, the police team had gone to the village on Monday evening to arrest him.

When the police team reached the house located in the middle of his field on the outskirts of the village, the accused opened several rounds of fire from inside. The police suspect the accused was watching the movement of the police force through CCTV installed around the house to track the movement of people and animals.

The police said the accused, his wife, and the son tried to escape from the backdoor of the house during the night. When they saw them escaping, the police team asked them to surrender.

An additional police force was called to the spot and the criminal’s house was surrounded from a distance. Anand said the police team surrounded the house for around three hours and the situation was brought under control only after the arrest of the accused and his family.

Anand claimed they recovered two country-made pistols from the accused and a double-barrel rifle from inside the house during a search.

As many as 16 policemen have died and 1,501 have been injured in cross-firings across the state since Yogi Adityanath’s government came into power in March 2017.

As per the police headquarters report, 194 criminals have been killed and 5,896 injured in the 11,808 encounters that took place since March 2017. The police have also arrested 24,978 criminals during these encounters.