Varanasi: Sidhari police in Azamgarh district on Sunday arrested the leader of a goat thieves’ gang after an encounter near Lohari Mod culvert on Samenda-Pura Thakurai road.Azamgarh CO (city) Shubham Todi said Sidhari police personnel were busy in a checking drive on Sunday morning when informers alerted them regarding the movement of goat thieves’ gang members towards Shahgarh on a motorcycle via Samenda. The policemen laid a cordon near the culvert and tried to stop the motorcycle-borne men. On seeing the police, they tried to take a U-turn, but their vehicle overturned and both of them fell on the road.One of them, identified as Kalim, managed to escape, while pillion rider Asif opened fire at the police team, said Todi, adding Asif was shot in the leg during retaliatory firing by the police. After recovering a firearm, cartridges, slippers, a motorcycle and cash of Rs 1,560 received from selling a stolen goat, police rushed him to the hospital.During questioning, Asif confessed to stealing two goats from Daulatpur on Sept 29, one from Samenda on Sept 20, and three from Bairiyadih under Jiyanpur police station on Sept 16. Todi said that six criminal cases were already lodged against Asif, while Kalim, who managed to escape, has 38 cases to his account.
