E-Paper
Attack on retd IAF man in Lko: Three days on, eight police teams hunt assailants
Lucknow police continue to search for assailants who shot retired IAF officer Awadesh Kumar Pathak outside his restaurant; motive remains unclear.
Three days after a retired Indian Air Force honorary flying lieutenant was shot at and injured outside his restaurant in the Sushant Golf City area, eight special teams of the Lucknow police are still searching for the assailants, officials said on Monday.
The victim, identified as 60-year-old Awadesh Kumar Pathak, was shot on Friday night at Shopping Square-2 in the Ansal township, where he runs a restaurant, Rasoi by Maa after retiring in April 2022. The incident sent shockwaves through the neighbourhood, prompting heightened police presence in the area.
Police said the motive for the attack is yet to be ascertained. “We are trying to find out the motive. Our teams are working day and night to trace the accused,” said ADCP (South) Vasanath Rallapalli. He added that Pathak’s condition has improved and he is now out of danger.
Pathak, originally from Sant Kabir Nagar district, currently resides in the Gosaiganj police station area.
Based on a complaint lodged by the injured man’s wife, Mithlesh Pathak, an FIR has been registered at Sushant Golf City police station against two unidentified persons under Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with attempted murder.
Police said multiple CCTV cameras installed at and around the crime scene are being examined to trace the movement of the attackers before and after the incident. “Technical surveillance and local intelligence inputs are being used as part of the investigation,” an official said.
Residents and shopkeepers in the area have expressed concern over the incident, even as police officials maintained that all possible angles are being probed.
