Jamshedpur: The city police on Tuesday produced four members of an interstate kidnapping gang before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, following which they were remanded to judicial custody. The group includes three criminals who were injured during a dramatic police encounter while attempting to escape.
Previously, on January 30, the police had arrested and jailed two other gang members, Mohan Prasad and Arjun Singh.
The Encounter Near Sai Temple
According to police reports, the encounter took place on January 29 when a team took the accused to a location near the Sai Temple in Bistupur to recover the weapons used in the kidnapping. During the search, the criminals snatched a weapon from the bodyguard of Bistupur Station House Officer (SHO) Alok Dubey and opened fire.
The gang fired six rounds at the police in a desperate bid to flee. In self-defense, the police retaliated with five rounds, resulting in injuries to three of the kidnappers. A separate FIR has been registered against the accused for obstructing government work, snatching weapons, and attempted murder.
Case Background: The Kairav Gandhi Kidnapping
The case dates back to January 13, when prominent industrialist Kairav Gandhi was abducted from the Circuit House area (Kadma-Sonari Link Road) in Bistupur. Under immense pressure from continuous police raids and technical surveillance, the kidnappers eventually abandoned the industrialist near the Chouparan-Barhi area in Hazaribagh around midnight on January 26.
After safely recovering the victim, the police used technical evidence to track down the entire gang, leading to the recent series of arrests and the subsequent encounter.
Details of the Arrested Accused
The accused sent to jail are members of a notorious gang operating across state lines:
- Guddu Singh: Resident of Nalanda, Bihar (Injured in the encounter).
- Mohammad Imran alias Aamir: Resident of Nalanda, Bihar (Injured in the encounter).
- Rameez Raza: Resident of Nalanda, Bihar (Injured in the encounter).
- Upendra Singh: Resident of Gaya, Bihar (Injured after jumping from a roof during his arrest).
