Kanpur Dehat Police Claim Locked-House Theft Solved After Encounter

The Kanpur Dehat police have claimed to have solved the theft reported from a locked house in Paliwal Nagar, under Rura police station limits, after a police encounter. Three alleged members of a gang involved in stealing from locked houses were arrested, while one of them was injured after being shot in the leg during retaliatory firing by the police.

The incident relates to a theft worth lakhs from the locked house of Maheshchandra Tiwari, a resident of Paliwal Nagar. The theft had taken place on 21 September. On the basis of the victim’s complaint, a case was registered at Rura police station under Case Crime No. 0296/2026, under Sections 305(a)/331(3) of the BNS.

According to the Rura police, the case was investigated through three special teams formed by the Superintendent of Police, Kanpur Dehat. These teams included the SHO of Akbarpur, the SO of Rura, and personnel from Surveillance/SOG.

On Sunday (04 October), SO Rura Sudhir Bhardwaj was patrolling the area along with a police team. During the patrol, a source informed the police that three accused allegedly involved in the theft were travelling on a scooter from Banipara towards Sithmara.

Acting on the information, the police team set up a cordon near Laxmanpurwa village. When the three scooter-borne youths were stopped from the front, they allegedly turned the scooter around and tried to escape. In the rush to flee, the scooter skidded and all three fell.

The police said that after finding themselves surrounded, one of the accused opened direct fire at the police team with the intention of killing them. The police team then carried out retaliatory firing in self-defence. During the exchange of fire, one accused sustained a bullet injury to his leg.

The injured accused has been identified as Himanshu Gautam, son of an unknown person, a resident of Karrahi under Barra police station in Kanpur Nagar. He was arrested in an injured condition and admitted to a hospital for treatment.

The two other arrested accused have been identified as Avinash Savita, a resident of Karrahi under Barra police station in Kanpur Nagar, and Ajay Kanjad, a resident of Dadanagar, Kanpur Nagar.

The police said they recovered stolen gold and silver jewellery along with cash. One scooter allegedly used in the crime was also recovered. The items recovered also included an “aala nakab”, described as a tool used for breaking locks.

The police further reported the recovery of one country-made pistol of 315 bore, three empty cartridges and two live cartridges.

The police said that a new case was being registered against all three accused under relevant sections in connection with the encounter, possession of an illegal firearm and the theft case. Police officials are also examining the other criminal histories of the accused. Further legal action is under way.

Report by Vivek Trivedi.