An alleged drug trafficker transporting heroin and opium worth Rs 20 crore to Rajasthan was injured in police firing early on Saturday after he "snatched a firearm from a sub-inspector and opened fire" in Assam's Kokrajhar district, an officer said.
Police also claimed that unidentified people set ablaze the vehicle carrying the drugs, reducing it to ashes. The Rajasthan-bound truck coming from Manipur was stopped at Srirampur check gate along the West Bengal-Assam inter-state boundary and 3.1 kg of heroin and 85 kg of opium were seized from the vehicle, the officer said.
The driver, hailing from Barmer in Rajasthan, was arrested. He revealed that there is an associate of his in Gossaigaon, around 10 km from Srirampur. The police then started taking the accused to Gossaigaon by foot, when he suddenly snatched the service revolver of SI Brijesh Kumar and opened fire in the early hours of Saturday, the officer said.
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"In retaliatory firing, the accused sustained bullet injuries and was admitted to Kokrajhar Civil Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment. In the meantime, some unidentified people set the truck carrying the drugs on fire," he said. Around 46 people have been gunned down and 113 others injured in incidents of police firing since May last year. In all the cases, police claimed that they had to open fire when the accused either tried to flee from their custody or shot at them.
-With PTI Input
