Seven Special Task Force (STF) jawans were injured after a mob attacked the police team that went to nab a murder accused at Bhuin Toli in Khiriawan village under Magadh Medical police station area in Gaya on Sunday night. The mob also snatched service pistols from two jawans before fleeing.
STF personnel in plain clothes were conducting raids to arrest Sanjay Manjhi, wanted for the murder of the nephew of a petrol pump owner under Mufassil police station on Nov 11, 2024. During the raid, villagers allegedly raised an alarm about “thieves”, following which around 50 men and women armed with sticks surrounded the jawans, assaulted them, and pelted bricks on them.
According to STF sources, when the jawans tried to fire in the air in self-defence, villagers snatched service pistols from two of them. Among the seven injured police personnel, Manikant Dubey and Santosh Choubey suffered serious head injuries, while Niraj Pandit sustained an eye injury. All three were admitted to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital and are now stated to be stable.
Upon being informed, Gaya SSP Sushil Kumar, City SP Kota Kiran Kumar and City DSP Dharmendra Bharti rushed to the spot with additional forces from Bodh Gaya and Magadh Medical police station and launched an intensive search operation.
The City SP said on Monday, “Police have arrested five people, including two women, and recovered the snatched pistols abandoned in a nearby field. We are also conducting raids to identify and nab all those involved in the attack.”
