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Five aides of gangster Prince Khan arrested in Hazaribagh
The encounter took place after police cordoned off the Arahara mining zone following intelligence inputs about a planned large-scale attack at a mining site in Barkagaon aimed at extorting levy and terrorising transport operators.
Hazaribagh police shot and injured an alleged member of the Prince Khan gang in retaliatory firing in self-defence near the Budhna Ghati bridge under the Barkagaon police station area around 4.30 a.m. on Thursday, officials said.
The encounter took place after police cordoned off the Arahara mining zone following intelligence inputs about a planned large-scale attack at a mining site in Barkagaon aimed at extorting levy and terrorising transport operators.
The police received the information after arresting four alleged gang members from Lohsinghna in Hazaribagh and Bokaro and recovering arms and ammunition from their possession.
The injured man was identified as Syed Mohammad Zeeshan, who sustained a bullet injury to his right leg. He was admitted to Hazaribagh Sadar Hospital for treatment.
Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police (SP) Aman Kumar confirmed the incident and said police had busted a module of the KSS Kuber gang, an extortion syndicate allegedly operated by gangster Prince Khan.
“Following an intense exchange of fire in the Barkagaon coal mining region, we arrested one operative. Earlier, we had apprehended four active operatives and seized firearms and ammunition. This is a major breakthrough for us,” the SP said.
According to a police press release, the operation began on Wednesday after the SP received specific intelligence that Prince Khan’s associates were expanding their extortion wing, the Koyalanchal Shanti Sena (KSS), into local coal-mining hubs.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Barkagaon Sub-Divisional Police Officer Amit Anand, was constituted to carry out the operation.
The SIT conducted raids in the Pelawal and Lohsinghna areas and first arrested Md Shamshad alias Sahil and Wakas Haider, recovering 20 live rounds of .303 ammunition from them. Based on their disclosures, police later arrested Arun Kumar Singh and Roshan Malakar from Bokaro and recovered a country-made pistol and two live cartridges.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that the gang was planning an imminent attack at a mining site in Barkagaon to extort levy and create fear among transport operators. Acting on the information, police cordoned off the Arahara (13 Mile, TP-5) mining zone around 4 a.m. on Thursday.
As the police team approached the Budhna Ghati bridge, the suspects allegedly tried to escape into a nearby forest and opened fire, firing six to seven rounds at the police. The police retaliated in self-defence, injuring Zeeshan in his right leg, while the remaining suspects escaped under the cover of darkness. Police recovered a country-made pistol and a loaded magazine from Zeeshan’s possession.
Police said the arrested operatives confessed that they were acting on the instructions of Prince Khan and his jailed associates, including Kuber alias Aman Kumar Singh, Nitish Vats, and Sagar Singh. Their alleged objective was to fire at transport trucks to force mining businesses to pay extortion money.
The seized weapons included a country-made pistol, a country-made katta, 23 rounds of ammunition and five mobile phones allegedly used for communication.
Police said Arun Kumar Singh has an extensive criminal record, with at least eight cases registered against him, including charges of murder, attempt to murder, and offences under the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
