One person was killed while another injured in a firing incident during a ‘Ganga Snan’ mela at Makhdumpur Ganga Ghat in Meerut on Monday night. Local officers who rushed to the spot claimed that it appeared to be an inter-gang conflict. The deceased was identified as Kaushendra of Alipur Morna village in Mawana. He was wanted in 16 cases. Another person named Kartik sustained a bullet wound in his hand and was said to be undergoing treatment in a hospital.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Keshav Kumar said that Kaushendra was a hardcore criminal with cases of loot, attempt to murder, etc filed against him in Mawana, Hastinapur and other police stations. He was also booked under the Gangster Act twice. Kaushendra named three before succumbing to the injuries, and one of them was taken into custody while raids were being conducted to arrest the remaining two, Kumar said.
The SP said that the accused also had a criminal background, and they were reportedly consuming alcohol at the time of the incident. “They may have fought over some issue and opened fire,” Kumar said. The body was sent for autopsy and further investigations were underway.
Meanwhile in Bahraich, an “exorcist” was detained for allegedly raping a woman who approached him for treatment, police said on Tuesday. An FIR was registered against the accused, Lal Maharaj (57), on a complaint by the victim's father on Monday, Additional SP Kunwar Gyanjai Singh said.
The 26-year-old victim was admitted to a hospital in Lucknow as her condition was serious, police said. The woman was suffering from tuberculosis and had approached the “exorcist” on the advice of some locals, the police said.
Meanwhile in Shamli, a girl, who was a victim of alleged “love jihad”, gave up her life. Reports said that a youth used Hindu name ‘Sameer’ to fraudulently marry a Hindu girl.
After coming to know that the boy is Muslim, the girl allegedly ended her life and left a suicide note. The deceased had written that a Muslim youth cheated her by introducing himself as Sameer and did not disclose his real identity till she married him three months back.
When she learnt that he was a Muslim, she returned home but the youth started blackmailing her by threatening to upload objectionable videos.
The girl, who hailed from Yamunanagar in Haryana, committed suicide to get rid of the accused. Her family contacted the Shamli police on Monday and revealed how Sagheer Ahmed, a resident of Mohalla Sedmir of Jhinjhana in Shamli, cheated her. They also accused Sagheer of blackmailing and threatening the girl, forcing her to commit suicide. The Shamli police registered a case in this connection and launched a manhunt for the accused.