In a late-night operation on Friday, the Special Task Force (STF) shot dead a notorious criminal from Bihar’s Saran district in an encounter in Sanjay Nagar, Road Number 10, Jakkanpur area of Patna. The incident occurred around 10 PM. The criminal was identified as Ajay Kumar Rai, alias Kaka, a notorious robber and a key member of the Chandan Sonar gang, infamous for targeting victims for gold. Rai was also accused in bank robbery cases in Bihar, said Special Task Force DIG Vivekanand.
STF member Diwakar Kumar sustained a gunshot injury during the encounter and has been admitted to the hospital, local media reports stated. Following the shootout, senior officials from the STF and Patna Police arrived at the scene. The STF team, acting on a tip, launched a search in the area. As they knocked on the doors of a house, Ajay Rai and his associates opened fire. Two of the associates managed to escape, reported local media.
Around 12 rounds were fired during the encounter. A pistol, ammunition, and spent cartridges were recovered from the spot. Jakkanpur Station House Officer (SHO) Rituraj Singh confirmed Ajay Rai’s death in the encounter.
Ajay Rai had nine criminal cases registered against him across Haryana, Saran, and Arrah in Bihar, with most cases being in Saran. Rai, who hailed from Chhapra, was convicted of several offences, including robbery, murder, extortion, and violations of the Arms Act. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
This marks the second major police encounter in Patna in the last six years. The previous encounter occurred in 2018 near East Gola Road, close to Patliputra station, where another notorious criminal, Abhishek Kumar Sharma, alias Muchkund, was killed. Muchkund carried a bounty of Rs 50,000 on his head.
(With inputs from Shashank, ABP News.)
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