Varanasi: An accused in the murder of an eyewitness in a criminal case against his father was arrested by Gadwar police in Ballia after an exchange of fire late Sunday. The accused, Saurabh Upadhyay, sustained a bullet injury in the leg during the encounter, police said.Ballia ASP (Southern) Sanjay Verma said on Monday that Gadwar police were on night patrol and conducting vehicle checks when they received information about the presence of a criminal, Saurabh Upadhyay (27), near a culvert. When the police team reached the culvert on the road leading from Ratsar Marg to Noorpur, the miscreant opened fire on them and attempted to flee.In retaliatory firing by the police, Saurabh sustained a bullet injury in the leg and was arrested, Verma said. Police seized a country-made pistol and cartridges from his possession before shifting him to the hospital.During questioning, Saurabh allegedly revealed that a murder case had been lodged against his father, Devendra Upadhyay, in 2023 and that Vinod Upadhyay was an eyewitness. To save his father, Saurabh allegedly hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Vinod. Along with his accomplices—Govind Chauhan, Arun Rajbhar, Sonu Chauhan and Suraj Chauhan—he allegedly killed Vinod on July 4. Police have intensified their search for the remaining accused.
