HUBBALLI: A 24-year-old man was brutally assaulted and killed by a group in the parking area of a bar here, police said on Tuesday.
Three of the accused arrested by the police attempted to escape and the cops opened fire on them.
In the process they sustained injuries, they added.
Three of the accused - Abhishek Shiroor, Vinod Ambigera and Yallappa Koti, residents of Anandnagar - have been arrested in connection with the murder that occurred in Vidyanagar on Monday midnight, they said.
Akash Valmiki, a resident of Indraprastha Nagar, was assaulted and stabbed with a knife, police said, adding the exact reason for the murder is being investigated.
According to police, around seven people are involved in the crime.
Three among them were the assailants while two others were tasked with informing the movement of the victim to the assailants.
The three offenders were caught on Tuesday morning near the railway station and they led the police team to another place where possibly other offenders were hiding.
"However, after coming to the place, taking advantage of the darkness around 5:45 am, they (accused) assaulted police officials and tried to escape. In the bid to catch them, our team fired in the air two or three rounds but when they proceeded to escape, they had to be detained with minimal use of force," a senior police officer said.
"So, two of our Sub Inspectors fired five rounds at the accused and in the process, three of the accused sustained injuries," he added.
The arrested accused have been admitted to hospital for treatment, he said.
"A case has been registered at Vidyanagar Police Station in this regard and the investigation is on," he said.