PATNA: A day after a delegation of BJP leaders met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and demanded a check on rising crime, a police officer was shot dead by cattle smugglers in Bihar’s Samastipur district on Tuesday.
The deceased police officer Nand Kishore Yadav was posted at Mohanpur police outpost under Dalsinghsarai police station. The incident took place when the SHO had gone to conduct a raid after picking up three suspects involved in cattle theft in the area.
The cattle thieves opened fire at the police officer during the investigation. He received injuries above his eyes. He was rushed to Dalsinghsarai sub-divisional hospital from where he was later referred to Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna.
Police sources said that Yadav succumbed to his injuries during treatment. Earlier, police had arrested three cattle thieves and recovered two vehicles which were used in the transportation of stolen cattle from the spot to an unknown destination.
Superintendent of Police (SP), Samastipur, Vijay Kumar Tiwari said that the body of the deceased cop would be handed over to the family after guard of honour at the district police lines. He said those involved in the crime would not be spared.
SP Tiwari said that the slain SHO was alerted after a series of incidents of cattle theft in the area falling under the Mohanpur police outpost. “The unfortunate incident happened during cattle theft investigation,” he told the media.
Yadav, a native of Araria district, had joined the police department in 2009. Before being transferred to Samastipur, he had served in Kishanganj and Purnea districts. The slain police officer’s elder brother Narayan Yadav raised questions over the death of the police officer.
“He was pressurized to conduct an investigation in cattle theft cases, which cost him dearly and was killed,” the slain cop’s brother alleged and demanded a fair investigation.