Varanasi: Ghazipur police arrested the second accused in the kidnapping of a 16-year-old speech and hearing-impaired girl after an encounter in the Saidpur Kotwali area on Wednesday night. The accused, Sanjay Bind, 39, of Mohammadabad, who carried a reward of Rs 50,000, was shot in the leg during retaliatory firing.Police said the Saidpur team was on night patrol and checking duty when it received information that the wanted accused was moving towards Ghazipur from the Sadat side. Acting on the tip-off, Saidpur SHO Anil Singh, along with the Bhitari outpost in-charge and a police team, laid a cordon near Ahirauli village on the private ITI old pitch road. When Sanjay was signalled to stop, his motorcycle slipped and fell.Police said Sanjay opened fire at the team near Ahirauli village around 10.30pm. In retaliatory firing, he sustained a bullet injury in his leg. He was taken to Saidpur CHC and later referred to the district hospital after primary treatment.A forensic team was called to the encounter site to collect evidence. Police also carried out a search operation in the area.The case relates to the kidnapping of a speech and hearing-impaired girl on Aug 1 near the Greenfield Expressway close to Barji village, where she was grazing goats. Two bike-borne men allegedly abducted her. Police later recovered the girl safely from a house in a village in the Saidpur area, using CCTV footage and surveillance.The main accused, Vijayi, 34, had earlier been arrested after an encounter on Aug 10, in which he was shot in the leg. A reward of Rs 25,000 had been announced for his arrest.Police said Sanjay has 15 cases registered against him at different police stations in the district, including robbery, kidnapping, attempted kidnapping and assault.
