Patna, Dec 27 An accused in the Bihar temple theft case suffered a wound during an encounter with police and was arrested on Saturday.
The crown of the Thawe Bhawani Temple in Gopalganj, Bihar, was recovered from the accused.
According to Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Awadhesh Dixit, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed under the leadership of the Sadar SDPO received a tip-off that a member of the Deepak Rai gang, involved in the temple theft, arrived in Gopalganj carrying the stolen jewels.
Acting on the information, the SIT conducted a raid near Riki Tola in the Thawe police station area.
"During the operation, one of the accused opened fire on the police team. The police first issued a warning, but when the firing continued, they retaliated in self-defence," Dixit said.
In the encounter, the accused, Ismail Alam, was shot in the leg and apprehended.
He was immediately taken into police custody and provided medical treatment.
Police said the accused hails from the Ghazipur–Motihari region and was currently residing in the Shahpur police station area.
During the search, police recovered important parts of the crown of Goddess Thawe Bhawani, a mobile phone used in the crime, and other incriminating evidence from the spot.
SP Awadhesh Dixit stated that during interrogation, the accused confessed to his involvement in the theft and provided detailed information about the entire gang, including how the crime was executed, who was involved, where the stolen jewellery was taken, and who is currently in possession of the remaining items.
Police also confirmed that Alam was captured on CCTV footage along with gang leader Deepak Rai, entering the temple and committing the theft.
Following the development, continuous raids are being conducted to arrest the remaining accused.
Police officials expressed confidence that the entire theft case will be completely solved soon.
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