Veteran Journalist Hacked To Death In Prayagraj, Key Accused Held After Late-Night Encounter

During a late-night operation near the site of the killing, police engaged the suspect in an encounter, following which the main accused was arrested. He sustained three gunshot wounds to his legs.

The key murder accused, Vishal, was arrested after an encounter with the UP Police.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

A journalist was hacked to death in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on Thursday. The key suspect was arrested late Thursday night following a police encounter in the city.

Lakshmi Narayan Singh, popularly known as Pappu, was a veteran journalist and the nephew of former High Court Bar Association chief Ashok Singh. The 54-year-old was attacked near the Harsh Hotel on Thursday evening.

Severely injured, he was immediately taken to Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, where doctors declared him dead upon arrival.

According to Additional Commissioner of Police Ajay Pal Sharma, initial evidence from the crime scene and accounts of eyewitnesses identified Vishal as the main attacker, who allegedly carried out the assault with a group of accomplices. Sharma revealed that Vishal had purchased the knife used in the crime from Machhli Bazaar in Khuldabad, PTI reported.

Following the incident, police launched an invesgtigation to nab the absconding accused. During a late-night operation near the site of the killing, police engaged the suspect in an encounter.

Vishal, the main accused, sustained three gunshot wounds to his legs and was subsequently admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment, Sharma said.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to track down another suspect believed to have taken part in the murder. Two others have been detained for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation.

Preliminary findings suggest that Vishal and Singh had a dispute just days before the fatal attack. “The exact cause of the disagreement is being probed,” Sharma added.