The police opened fire at a 23-year-old murder accused who allegedly attacked them in a bid to escape while they were escorting him to recover a murder weapon early on Thursday.

“The accused, Sachin, is a habitual offender,” said a police officer. He is accused of murdering a history-sheeter, Narasimha, on April 2.

He and two of his associates, Hitesh, 30, and Karthik, 25, were arrested on Wednesday by the Rajagopalanagar police in connection with the murder.

While they were being escorted by a police team to Shivapura in Peenya — where Sachin had reportedly confessed to have hid the weapon — he allegedly attacked two policemen with a stone.

Inspector Dinesh Patil, after giving a warning, shot at his right leg. The injured constables, Jayashankar and Tulasi Nayak, along with Sachin were taken to a hospital.