Patna, March 16 Following back-to-back police encounters in Bihar’s Saran and Patna districts, Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar on Monday said that authorities are taking firm action against criminals in accordance with the law.
The statement came after an encounter took place in Saran district on Sunday night, followed by another exchange of fire on Monday morning in the Barh subdivision.
“The police forces in the respective areas took action against criminals as per the situation and strictly within the ambit of the law,” DGP Vinay Kumar said.
Referring to the incident in Saran where five people died after consuming spurious liquor, the DGP confirmed that the presence of poisonous alcohol has been verified. Police have taken action against those involved in the liquor trade and made arrests, he said.
According to an official, five people lost their lives, and 12 others fell ill after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in villages under the jurisdiction of Panapur Police Station and Mashrakh Police Station between March 11 and March 13.
In connection with the case, police arrested Suraj Mahto (26), son of Munni Mahto and a resident of Mithwa village under the Panapur police station area. Suraj Mahto was allegedly involved in supplying the toxic liquor and had been absconding since the incident.
Acting on a tip-off, police traced him to Katihar, where he was arrested and later brought to Saran for further investigation. During the investigation, police took the accused to the Mashrakh-Panapur border area to conduct raids to recover illegal liquor stock and identify other members of the network.
Officials said that during the raid, accomplices of the accused opened fire on the police team in an attempt to rescue him. Police retaliated in self-defense, and during the exchange of fire, Suraj Mahto sustained a gunshot injury to his leg. He was later taken into custody and provided medical treatment.
In another incident, an exchange of fire took place between the Bihar Special Task Force (STF) and a notorious criminal identified as Dheeraj Singh within the jurisdiction of Pandarak Police Station in the Barh sub-division of Patna district.
Police officials said several criminal cases are already registered against the accused. Authorities said investigations in both cases are ongoing.
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