Jaunpur: Cow smuggler killed, 2 injured in encounter after cop’s death

On the intervening night of May 14 and 15, the same gang had allegedly tried to mow down the Jalalpur outpost in-charge sub-inspector Pratima Singh and three other police personnel. Pratima Singh remains in serious condition at the trauma centre.

A cow smuggler was shot dead and two others were injured in an encounter with police on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, after their pickup vehicle fatally ran over a head constable during a checking drive near Khujji turn under Chandavak police station area in Jaunpur, officials said.

Head constable run over during vehicle check; six-member gang was on the run (Sourced)

The incident began around 11.50 pm on Saturday when a police team intercepted a speeding pickup suspected of smuggling cattle. Instead of stopping, the vehicle accelerated and ran over head constable Durgesh Kumar Singh, 35. Police said he was taken to Trauma Centre, Varanasi, where he was declared brought dead by doctors at 12:46 am on Sunday.

Superintendent of police, Jaunpur, Dr Kaustubh said police teams had been on alert following a previous attempt by cattle smugglers to attack police. On the intervening night of May 14 and 15, the same gang had allegedly tried to mow down the Jalalpur outpost in-charge sub-inspector Pratima Singh and three other police personnel. Pratima Singh remains in serious condition at the trauma centre.

After Saturday night’s fatal incident, police launched a coordinated chase involving teams from nearby police stations and the special operations group (SOG). The smugglers, after abandoning their pickup (registration number UP 65 PT 9227) at Tala Bela village under Cholapur police station limits in Varanasi, fled on two motorcycles.

As police closed in near Chandwak, the smugglers reportedly opened fire. In the retaliatory exchange, three accused, Salman (Jaunpur), Narendra Yadav (Varanasi), and Golu (Chandauli), sustained gunshot injuries. Salman, who was shot in the chest, died while being taken to the community health centre in Dobhi. The two others are undergoing treatment at a district hospital, the SP informed.

Police said three members of the gang, identified as Rahul Yadav, Raju Yadav, and Azad Yadav, managed to escape during the encounter. Police have formed teams to trace and arrest them. The pickup vehicle used during the incident was recovered from Tala Bela village.

SP Kaustubh confirmed that head constable Durgesh Kumar Singh’s post-mortem was underway and his last rites would be conducted with full state honours. On May 15, a case under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (murder) was registered against the unidentified pickup driver and others involved at Jalalpur police station.