Ranchi police has denied of having committed any sort of negligence in carrying out the anti-criminal operation for the arrest of wanted gangsters luv Kush Sharma and Vipin Sharma under Paliganj police station in Patna killing Sarpanch of Nirakhpur panchayat, who was present at the spot. One of the criminals Vipin Sharma got arrested following the shootout, while luv Kush Sharma managed to escape.
“We had proper information that both the criminals were hiding in the area, following which a team of Ranchi police comprising Officer in charge of Argroa and Sadar police stations, along with three constables reached there and conducted a raid in association with Pali Police in Patna,” said ASP Hatia Prashant Anand. The police team succeeded in arresting Vipin Sharma while luv Kush Sharma escaped from the spot, he said.
“Meanwhile, firing from both sides also took place on the spot during which Sarpanch Ram Nath Prasad, 42, died on the spot. It is still not clear whether he died of the bullet from the opposite side or by the firing done by the police. It will be clear only after proper investigations were conducted in this regard,” said the ASP.
According to the police, SOPs were followed by both Patna and Ranchi police before conducting the raid in the area. “It is really unfortunate that one civilian got killed in the incident,” said Anand. He also rejected the reports that the team of Ranchi police has been detained following the incident.
Sources, however, revealed that Patna police has started investigating into the killing and all the five policemen are being interrogated at Paliganj police station.
luv Kush Sharma is wanted in several cases of extortion and murders in Ranchi. Bipin is the brother of luv Kush and an accomplice in his criminal activities. Ranchi police had recently attached properties of the two criminals who have been hiding in Bihar for the past couple of months.
A five-member Ranchi police team led by an
inspector was in Patna to chase the criminals.