Sagar , A man wanted in connection with the hooch tragedy in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district that claimed 16 lives was apprehended after a brief encounter with police early on Sunday, officials said.
Rajput allegedly fired three rounds at a police team during a search operation near Kathua Nala forest area under Bahrol police station. The accused was subsequently arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment. With this, the number of accused arrested in the spurious liquor consumption case has gone up to 19, police sources said, adding that FIRs have been registered against 30 persons. He was involved in brewing the liquor, and a reward of ₹ 30,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest, according to police. A country-made .315-bore pistol, three live cartridges, three empty cartridges, a mobile phone and a motorcycle were recovered from his possession, a police statement said.
The security personnel fired two rounds in retaliation, hitting him in the leg, police said. His condition was stable, Sagar police control room in-charge sub-inspector RKS Chauhan told PTI over the phone. Rajput, who was on a motorbike, allegedly opened fire after spotting the police team, prompting retaliatory firing in which he was injured, the officials said.
Rajput, a resident of Chhapri village under Banda police station in Sagar, had been absconding since the spurious liquor incident earlier this month. Police received information early on Sunday that Rajput, who allegedly has three criminal cases registered against him and was previously involved in liquor smuggling, was in the forest near Kathua Nala and might pass through the Dhamoni-Bahrol road on his way home in Chhapri.
