Times News NetworkKanpur: Police arrested the absconding accused in the murder of a dairy vehicle driver, Mumtaz in the city during an encounter after he allegedly opened fire while trying to flee on a bike, police officials said. The accused, identified as Suhail alias Ranu of the Devsaadh village in the Saadh police station area, sustained gunshot injuries in both legs in the retaliatory police firing and was taken into custody.Police said the accused had come secretly to meet his family at around 3 am on Sunday night. After receiving information, the Saadh police began checking near Kundauli turn on the Ramaipur-Jahanabad route. When the police signalled him to stop, he allegedly attempted to escape and started firing, following which police shot him in both legs and arrested him.During interrogation, Suhail alias Ranu said he went with the intention of committing robbery and did not intend to kill Mumtaz. He said Mumtaz was sleeping with an axe beside him and resisted, after which he picked up the axe. “During this, in self-defence, he snatched the axe and struck Mumtaz several times.” He also said he made the robbery plan out of greed.The victim, 30-year-old Mumtaz alias Kallu, a resident of Devsaadh village in the Saadh police station area, drove a dairy vehicle. He lived with his wife Shahjahan and their 4-month-old daughter in a house built in the fields, separate from his family, while his old house was in the village about 1 kilometre away. Shahjahan said he had earlier lived in Saudi Arabia and after returning started working as a driver.Shahjahan said, “After dinner at night, they went to sleep. At around 12 O’clock, two miscreants suddenly entered the house from the roof. They had tied black cloth over their faces. They caught hold of her and told her husband to hand over whatever jewellery he had.”“After this, they attacked her husband with an axe and murdered him. Then they started beating her as well. The miscreants were repeatedly saying that you people have a lot of jewelry, hand it over.”Police said that during investigation they found that Mumtaz’s cousin Suhail alias Ranu and his friend Ashish alias Kashi committed the murder. Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said there was old enmity between Ranu and Mumtaz, and because of this he carried out the crime. On Monday, police arrested accused Ashish in an encounter, while Ranu remained absconding until his arrest on Sunday night.Police also said the DVR linked to the murder case was found near a pond in Lakshmanpur village and it was intact.DCP Devendra Nath Chaudhary said, “In a police encounter, the main accused in the murder and robbery case, Suhail alias Ranu, has been arrested. Besides, Rs 25,000 reward has been given to the police team. The injured criminal has been admitted to hospital.”
