Chronicle Reporter, Panna
Police in Panna district on Saturday arrested a criminal six days after he took hostage policemen of a Dial 100 First Response Vehicle and hijacked it to abduct a girl.
The accused, Devraj Singh, is a notorious criminal of the area and is an accused in three murder cases. He was arrested after an encounter with the police and sustained some injuries. Two policemen were also reportedly injured in the encounter and have been admitted to hospital.
Superintendent of Police, Panna, Riyaz Iqbal, said that they had received a tip off that the accused was hiding in the forests of Mathri Kuthar in Panna. He then led a team and surrounded Devraj in the forest. After being challenged by the police, Devraj opened fire on them and a fierce gun battle ensued.
The shootout left TI Arvind Singh Dangi and a constable Rahul Baghel injured while Devraj was also wounded. Police recovered a country-made pistol and live cartridges from his possession.
On January 28, Devraj and four of his associates had held captive two police personnel deployed in Dial 100 vehicle and used it to abduct a 20-year-old girl from Bamuraha village.
The fugitives were on the run for next few days while keeping the girl with them before the police managed to nab Devraj’s accomplishes and recovered the girl.
Devraj, however, managed to slip away. He was later found by the police leading to the encounter.The two policemen have been suspended on charges of patrolling unarmed. The Congress has criticized the BJP-led state government for the incident, saying that even police are not able to secure themselves.
