GUWAHATI: Assam police killed two suspected “dacoits” and injured another in an encounter in western Assam’s Goalpara district on Saturday night, taking the death toll in police firing in Assam to 23 since May.
This is the 13th such encounter in which a total of 23 suspected criminals or militants have died after they allegedly tried to snatch service weapons or attempted to escape from custody or fired on the cops.
The latest incident took place near Goalpara town late on Saturday night when five armed robbers opened fire on a team of policemen and tried to escape, the police said.
Acting on specific information, the group of policemen started chasing a car carrying the armed robbers from Rongsai area but the dacoits fired on the police vehicle and moved towards Goalpara town, the police added.
“Goalpara police had to chase the vehicle across the areas under four police stations while being shot at by the criminals [inside the car]. But the police got the better of them,” state’s director-general of police, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, said. “In a truly Filmy Style, Armed Dacoit Gang fleeing away in Swift car was chased away frm Krishnai-Dudhnoi-Mornoi and caught in Goalpara,” Goalpara police tweeted.
Two of the alleged criminals, identified as Rafajuddin and Basit Ali, died in the shootout while one Rashidul Islam was injured, he said.
“We are on the lookout for the fourth accomplice. All of them have prior cases of dacoity against them. A gun and the car they were travelling in have been seized,” the DGP said.
The accused is currently undergoing treatment at Goalpara Civil Hospital, the officer said, adding that one died on the spot. The body of the other slain criminal was found on Sunday morning at a nearby place.
Two others managed to escape from the spot.
Since the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government took charge in Dispur on May 10, at least 23 suspected militants and criminals were killed and 35 others injured in police encounters in the state.
This is the fifth incident this month where alleged criminals have been shot dead.
On August 7, the police gunned down drug peddler Khairul Islam in Nagaon district followed by dacoit Asa Babu in Darrang district (August 11), bank robbers Monuwar Hussain, Aminul Hoque and Daula Sheikh in Kokrajhar district (August 22) and arms smuggler Nurul Islam in Karimganj district (August 23).
