Murder accused snatches service pistol, nabbed during encounter
Murder suspect Saddam escaped police custody after stealing a pistol but was recaptured with a leg injury during a shootout. Investigation ongoing.
A murder accused dramatically escaped police custody in Rampur late Monday night after snatching a service pistol from a head constable, only to be captured hours later during a police encounter that left him with a bullet wound to the leg.
The accused, Saddam, had been detained for questioning in connection with the shocking abduction and murder of 25-year-old Nihal, a groom-to-be who was killed just a day before his wedding. Saddam, a resident of Dhanupura village, was being taken to a location to help police recover the victim’s mobile phone and other evidence when he overpowered a head constable and fled with his pistol.
According to CO City Jitendra Singh, Saddam opened fire while being chased. Police retaliated and shot him in the right leg before taking him back into custody. He was then taken to the district hospital, where he is undergoing treatment under tight security.
Nihal, a resident of Gujar Tola in the Ganj area, was scheduled to marry Gulfshan of Dhanupura on June 15. However, on June 14 afternoon, he received a call from someone pretending to be his cousin’s brother-in-law, asking him to step out for a cloth fitting. He was then taken away by two men on a motorcycle and later found strangled in the forested area of Ratanpura Shumali village under Ajimnagar police station.
Nihal’s family filed an FIR naming the bride-to-be Gulfshan, her alleged lover Saddam, and two others—Farman and Anees—as suspects in the abduction and murder. Police recovered Nihal’s body based on information provided by the accused during questioning.
Rampur ASP Atul Srivastava confirmed that one accused has been sent to jail, while two others are being interrogated. “A case has been registered on the basis of the family’s complaint. The investigation is ongoing, and all aspects, including the motive and planning of the crime, are being probed,” he said.
