A sharpshooter wanted by the police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur walked across into Bihar’s Kaimur district and surrendered at an anti-liquor border checkpost with two beer cans and two bottles of whiskey late on Tuesday, people familiar with the matter said. Angad Rai was promptly arrested under Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, produced before a judge on Wednesday and sent to jail.
It was only much later that the Kaimur police figured out that the 40-year-old man booked for violating Bihar’s prohibition law was a criminal on the run, said Durgawati station house officer (SHO) Rajiv Ranjan Singh.
And that Rai probably got himself arrested in Bihar to ensure he wasn’t killed in an encounter in UP, a Kaimur district police officer, who asked not to be named, said.
A few phone calls later, Rajiv Ranjan Singh said they learnt that the man who walked into their custody was a dreaded sharpshooter close to gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari who is in UP’s Banda jail.
It turned out that Angad Rai moved to the top of Ghazipur’s most wanted list after allegedly threatening to kill a murder witness if he testified in a pending case.
There are more than 21 cases of murder, murder attempt, extortion, dacoity and loot registered against Angad Rai, SHO Singh said. There was also a ₹25,000 reward for his arrest.
{{/usCountry}}There are more than 21 cases of murder, murder attempt, extortion, dacoity and loot registered against Angad Rai, SHO Singh said. There was also a ₹25,000 reward for his arrest.
{{/usCountry}}Singh said it explained why Rai hadn’t applied for bail after his arrest for violating the prohibition law.
Ghazipur superintendent of police (SP) Omvir Singh said they were informed about Angad Rai’s arrest by Bihar Police on Thursday and a legal team was preparing to seek his remand from a Bihar court and bring him to UP.
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