NH-30 firing incident: One arrested, key accused still on the run

Patna: Police arrested an accused in the firing incident on NH-30 near Shahpur village, under the jurisdiction of Salimpur police station in Patna, in which a person was killed and three suffered gunshot injuries.The accused has been identified as Jwala Yadav, son of late Mahesh Yadav from Alipur village.On Saturday evening, a group of attackers opened fire at one Englesh Yadav and his family while they were returning home after performing prayers at Jagdamba Sthan in Bakhtiyarpur, on their new truck. Around 20 rounds were fired, in which Englesh (35) died on the spot, while three others, who suffered bullet injuries, are undergoing treatment at the PMCH.SDPO-II of Barh, Abhishek Singh, said on Sunday that based on the statement of Englesh’s wife, the Salimpur police swiftly registered a case (case no. 250/25) against seven named accused, including Jwala.“Jwala, a notorious figure with a long criminal history, was arrested shortly after the incident. Four cases are registered against him at Salimpur police station and one each at Athmalgola and Khusrupur police stations.

In the course of initial investigation, it came to light that a case was registered in 2023, in which Englesh was the accused in the FIR and whose plaintiff was Avinash Raj, who is the accused in the FIR in yesterday’s incident,” the SDPO said.Avinash, the prime suspect in this case, along with his accomplices, orchestrated the crime. After the incident, they fled north on a truck, which was later seized from Harnaut in Nalanda district. However, the suspects escaped. An SUV, which got stuck, was also seized from the crime spot. Upon searching the vehicle, two live cartridges were found, leading to a separate case being filed under the Arms Act.Singh further said, “The seized items included an SUV, a truck from Harnaut, live cartridges, six empty shells, and a pellet. Efforts are going on to arrest the remaining accused.”