Wanted Jharkhand criminal injured in police encounter in UP's Prayagraj

A criminal wanted for involvement in multiple murders was injured on Thursday in an encounter with the Special Task Force (STF) in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, officials said.

According to the police, the STF received a tip off that the criminal, Ashish Ranjan alias Chhotu Singh, a resident of Jharkhand's Dhanbad, was expected to arrive in Prayagraj along with a partner to commit yet another crime. Acting on the tip off, the task force prepared and waited to capture Ranjan. On his eventual arrival, the task force tried to nab him near Shivrajpur crossing.

Ranjan, upon realising the presence of the task force, started firing at them with an AK-47 assault rifle and a pistol.

During the incident, three officers of the STF — JP Rai, Prabhanjan and Rohit — narrowly escaped the firing. The team fired back in self-defence and struck Ranjan, injuring him. As a result, he was arrested and rushed to the hospital for immediate treatment.

After the encounter, an AK-47 rifle, a 9-millimetre pistol, a large quantity of live and empty cartridges and a motorcycle were recovered by the task force.

Additional Director General, Law and order, Amitabh Yash said that further legal proceedings and investigations are underway.

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