SULTANPUR, Aug. 23 — A man carrying multiple criminal cases and a bounty on his head was shot dead in an encounter with police in Sultanpur district on Saturday morning, officials said.
The incident occurred near the Mangai river bridge close to Narehtha village in Jahanganj police station limits, where the accused, identified as Shankar Prasad Kannaujia of Hajipur village in Raunapar police station area, was allegedly moving with his gang. Police said Kannaujia was preparing to commit a crime when he was intercepted.
Shankar was wanted in several serious cases, including murder and robbery in Mau district, and had multiple charges pending against him at Jiyapur police station. Acting on a tip-off, police teams set up a blockade in Jahanganj area.
“When the team attempted to arrest him, Shankar opened fire. Our personnel narrowly escaped, and in retaliatory action he was injured,” a senior police officer said. Additional forces from nearby stations rushed to the spot after reports of the gunfight.
The injured was taken to the emergency ward of Government Medical College, Sultanpur, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, police said.
From the encounter site, officers recovered a carbine, a 9mm pistol, and a large quantity of live and empty cartridges. The body has been sent for postmortem, and legal formalities are underway.
Police officials said the action was part of an ongoing crackdown against wanted criminals in the region.
