Police shoot knife-wielding suspect after attack on inspector

Police on Monday (December 22, 2025) opened fire on an accused after he attacked a circle inspector who had gone to arrest him in connection with an attempted murder case on the outskirts of the town. The accused injured three persons with a knife and tried to attack others, prompting the police to fire two rounds in order to apprehend the fleeing suspect.

According to Superintendent of Police P. Jagadeesh, four friends from Naik Nagar — Chakali Raja, Ajay, Sohail, and Akram — consumed alcohol at Arvind Nagar around 7 p.m. on Sunday. After some time, Raja demanded that his friends purchase more liquor, which led to an argument. In a fit of rage, Ajay stabbed Raja in the stomach with a knife. Raja was shifted to Government General Hospital, where he is currently on a ventilator. A case was registered, and police launched a search to nab Ajay, who fled from the spot.

On Monday morning around 8.30 a.m., Anantapur II Town police inspector Srikanth received information that Ajay was hiding near the TV Tower area where ‘shikharis’ (hunter community people) reside. “Our sub-inspector Rupendra Babu, constables Raghu Naik, Panava, Sudhakar, and others went to the area in mufti in an auto to nab him. We surrounded Ajay from all sides and were approaching him when he noticed the police team coming towards him and attacked the auto driver with the knife. He later fled into the nearby bushes. The local shikaris too tried to nab him but Ajay tried to attack them also. Ajay also tried to stab a woman but she luckily escaped,” Mr. Srikanth said. Ajay even tried to attack constable Raghu but the latter was lucky.

The injured auto driver, Baba, was shifted to a private hospital for treatment.

Mr. Srikanth said that Ajay jumped into the lake beside the bushes and fled to the other side. “We searched the lake but could not find him. Then we rushed to the other side on two-wheelers and in police vehicles and launched a search,” he said.

Ajay hid in the sugarcane fields, and we immediately surrounded them from all sides. “The sugarcane fields were dense and very tall. I cautioned Ajay to surrender, but he suddenly attacked me with a knife, striking my left shoulder. I immediately pulled out my 9 mm service weapon and fired one round into the air as a warning, again asking him to surrender. Ajay did not comply and once more pounced on me, at which point I shot him in the knees,” Mr. Srikanth said.

“Even after being hit by the bullet, Ajay was shouting at us, saying he wouldn’t hesitate to kill us if we moved towards him,” Srikanth said. Both Srikanth and Ajay were shifted to GGH for treatment. Ajay has a past criminal record and is known to be very aggressive, Mr. Srikanth added.

SP Jagadeesh, who visited the injured CI at the hospital, said stringent action will be taken against Ajay as per law.