Guwahati: A team of Meghalaya Police was allegedly attacked by a mob in Haryana’s Nuh district on Tuesday evening while escorting an accused linked to multiple ATM robberies in East Khasi Hills district, officials said.
Police said the personnel opened fire in self-defence after the group attempted to free the accused from their custody, during which a local youth sustained a bullet injury.
Acting on a complaint lodged by a Meghalaya Police officer, the Nuh police registered an FIR against 12 identified individuals and several others who remain unidentified.
The case has been filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly obstructing public servants from performing their duties, assaulting police personnel, and attempting to snatch official firearms.
Police said the incident took place when a Meghalaya Police team was taking the accused, Rahul Khan, a resident of Wazidpur, on transit remand after producing him before a court in Punhana.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police Ayush Yadav, the accused created a disturbance when the police vehicle reached near a hotel in Sikrawa village.
Officials said Rahul Khan allegedly demanded that the vehicle be stopped and suddenly grabbed the steering wheel, attempting to overturn the vehicle in a bid to escape.
Soon after, a group of around 30 people, including several women, reportedly gathered at the spot and surrounded the police vehicle.
The mob allegedly assaulted the officers, tried to seize the vehicle’s keys and also attempted to snatch their weapons, prompting the Meghalaya Police personnel to fire in self-defence to protect themselves and retain custody of the accused, a Nuh police spokesperson said on Wednesday.
During the firing, a local youth identified as Tarif Khan from Sikrawa sustained a bullet injury to his leg. He was later admitted to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak and is currently undergoing treatment.
Rahul Khan was arrested on Sunday in a joint operation conducted by the Nuh police and the Meghalaya Police.
Investigators said he was the alleged mastermind behind an ATM robbery in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya in February, where an ATM machine was cut open and a large amount of cash was looted.
Police records indicate that Rahul Khan is a repeat offender and is wanted in several organised crime cases, including those registered at police stations in Dwarka and Dabri in Delhi, as well as by the Special Cell of the Meghalaya Police.
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He is also suspected of being involved in multiple ATM theft cases in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Additional SP Ayush Yadav said police are analysing video footage from the scene to identify those involved in the attack, and several teams have been formed to track down and arrest the suspects.
