Varanasi: Following an encounter, Vindhyachal police arrested three members of a cattle smuggling gang in Mirzapur district on Tuesday.One of the smugglers sustained bullet injury in the exchange of fire and sent to the hospital for treatment. The police also seized an illegal country-made pistol with cartridges, five cattle and a pickup vehicle.Mirzapur SP Aparna Rajat Kaushik had directed all in-charge inspectors/station house officers of the district for prevention of crime and apprehension of criminals involved in cattle-smuggling. In compliance with the direction, the Vindhyachal police received information that cattle were being smuggled in a pickup vehicle.When the police team led by the inspector Ajit Kumar Singh chased the pickup vehicle from Gaipura, they fled towards Lalganj. When the vehicle was surrounded near Dadar Pahari on Lalganj Road by the police team, the criminals, to avoid arrest, started firing at the police team. In retaliatory firing by the police, one of the accused, Rohit Yadav of Chandauli district, suffered bullet injury in his leg and and fell down. Injured Rohit along with two others–Ashok Yadav of Chandauli and Rajiv Tiwari of Mirzapur district– were arrested.A case has been registered at Vindhyachal police station and further legal action is being taken as per rules, police said.
