Ara: In a brazen act that appeared like a scene from a crime thriller, a gang of young men in their 20s unleashed chaos on the Ara-Mohania road in Bhojpur district late Thursday night. Three police personnel, stationed there as part of the cross-mobile unit, found themselves outnumbered and overpowered by a group of about 15 miscreants during a routine vehicle check near Nayka Tola Mor.
What began as a heated argument between the officers and two bike-borne youths escalated into mayhem when one of the youths called reinforcements. Within moments, a mob descended, attacking the officers and seriously injuring constable Harendra Kumar, 34, who suffered a severe head injury. The gang did not stop there. They audaciously snatched Kumar's service pistol before vanishing into the night.
From his hospital bed in excruciating pain, Harendra managed only a few words. "They (attackers) were many in number. They snatched my service pistol," he said. The constable is being treated at Ara Sadar Hospital.
The Bhojpur police wasted no time retaliating. By Friday, six suspects were already in custody. However, the prime accused — the one who snatched the weapon — is still at large. "We will catch him soon and the pistol will be recovered," said Jagdishpur SDPO Rajiv Chandra Singh.
Recounting the incident, Singh added, "As directed by the Bhojpur SP, an intensive vehicle-checking drive was underway. When two bikers were stopped, they began arguing with the police. One of them then called his friends. Soon, a mob of 10 to 15 men arrived. Amid the chaos, the constable's pistol was snatched."
Singh said a special investigation team was immediately constituted under his leadership with support from the district intelligence unit. The team carried out a series of raids, resulting in the arrest of six people. Yet, the man with the pistol remained elusive.
SHO of Jagdishpur police station, Bigau Ram, said raids were being conducted to arrest the main accused.