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Three aides of fugitive gangster Prince Khan injured in Dhanbad encounter
Police said the encounter occurred after the joint team received specific intelligence that some members of the Prince Khan gang were hiding in the Bhagabandh area. Acting on the tip-off, police teams surrounded the locality and launched a search operation. As the team approached the suspected hideout, the criminals allegedly opened fire, prompting retaliatory firing by the police.
Three suspected associates of fugitive gangster Prince Khan were injured in a police encounter during a joint operation conducted by the Ranchi and Dhanbad police in the Bhagabandh outpost area under Putki police station limits early Monday, officials said.
Police said the encounter occurred after the joint team received specific intelligence that some members of the Prince Khan gang were hiding in the Bhagabandh area. Acting on the tip-off, police teams surrounded the locality and launched a search operation. As the team approached the suspected hideout, the criminals allegedly opened fire, prompting retaliatory firing by the police.
During the exchange of fire, Aman Singh alias Kuber, a resident of Palamu, and Vicky Dom of Dhanbad sustained bullet injuries in their legs. Another suspect, Afzal alias Aman, also from Dhanbad, was injured after falling while trying to escape from a dilapidated building at the site, resulting in a fractured leg. All three injured persons were taken into custody and admitted to hospital for treatment.
Dhanbad senior superintendent of police Prabhat Kumar said, “Three persons have been injured. Two of them received bullet injuries, while the third, Afzal Aman, fractured his leg after falling while trying to escape from the site.”
He added that preliminary investigation indicates that the injured persons are associated with the Prince Khan gang. According to police, the suspects were also allegedly involved in a firing incident at a hotel in Ranchi on March 7–8, and Ranchi police had been searching for them in connection with the case.
The SSP further said that three other criminals are suspected to have fled from the spot and multiple police teams have been deployed to track them down. Senior officers of Dhanbad Police, including City SP Ritwik Srivastava and Rural SP Kapil Chaudhary, reached the spot and supervised the ongoing search operation.
Police also recovered several mobile phones, weapons and suspected explosive materials from the site. Following the recovery of bomb-like objects, forensic experts and a bomb disposal squad were called to examine the area.
The latest encounter is part of an intensified crackdown on the network of Wasseypur-based gangster Prince Khan. Earlier this month, a police encounter near Dhangi Hills in Dhanbad left gang member Sudhish Kumar Ojha injured, while another associate, Dilip Singh, was arrested the following day from the Barwaddah police station area.
Police said raids and surveillance have been intensified across Wasseypur and adjoining areas to dismantle the local network of the gang, while further details about the operation will be shared after the search operation concludes.
