E-Paper
Slain brigand’s brother shot at in Chitrakoot
Kamlesh Patel, brother of slain brigand Thokia, narrowly escaped an attempt on his life by three unidentified men near his village in Chitrakoot.
Kamlesh Patel, brother of slain brigand Ambika Patel alias Thokia, who once called the shots in the Chitrakoot region, was shot at by a group of three men near his village in Chitrakoot on Sunday night, senior police officials said on Tuesday.
Kamlesh told the police he and his son Sandeep had a narrow escape.
Police said Kamlesh along with his family members has been living at their native in Lokharia village under Bharat Koop police station limits of Chitrakoot ever since Thokia was eliminated in a police encounter.
Kamlesh runs a grocery shop in the town area near his village and in-charge of Bharat Koop police station, Praveen Kumar said as per the FIR, three unidentified assailants on a bike opened fire on Kamlesh and his son.
Kumar quoted Kamlesh as saying that assailants had arrived with a loot-motive. Kamlesh told the police that he and his son had the narrowest of escape and on his complaint an FIR under IPC sections 307 for attempt to murder and loot attempt 392/511 has been registered against three unidentified men.
Bharat Koop police station in-charge Praveen Kumar said: “In the FIR Kamlesh stated that he was intercepted around 10.30 pm by three men when he along with his son was returning home after closing their grocery shop about 500 meters from his Lokharia village. He (Kamlesh) said the three men initially pretended having lost their way in the night and asked the route to the Bundelkhand expressway before one of the three assailants pointed a firearm at them and asked for their mobile phones and cash.”
Kamlesh also told police that the assailants twice opened fire on them when he and his son began running towards their village after leaving their motorcycle on the spot.
As per the police version, Kamlesh told them that he and his son escaped unhurt as the assailants couldn’t properly aim at them due to darkness. “We are trying to trace the assailants and further investigation in the matter is on,” a police official said.
Kamlesh’s brother Thokia carried a reward of ₹5 lakh for his arrest and had killed six UP Special Task Force (STF) personnel in an ambush when the police and STF team were combing jungle area in Chitrakoot in June 2007. Later, Thokia, 36, was killed in an encounter with the STF in August 2008. After him his younger brother Deepak Patel alias Awadhesh took over the control but was arrested in April 2009. He has been in jail since then.
