NEW DELHI: Two men suspected of involvement in the killing of gangster Chandan Mishra inside a Patna hospital were injured in a police encounter on Tuesday, officials said. The incident took place during a joint operation conducted by the Bihar Special Task Force (STF) and Bhojpur district police. The two suspects, identified as Balwant Kumar Singh and Ravi Ranjan Kumar Singh, were later arrested and taken to hospital for treatment.Police seized two pistols and one magazine.Mishra, who was out on parole for a liver surgery, was shot multiple times by a group of men who entered the hospital posing as visitors. CCTV footage later helped police identify some of the suspects. The latest encounter took place during a combing operation following the arrest of five men from a guest house in Kolkata’s Anandapur area on July 17.The joint operationThe Kolkata operation was jointly carried out by Bihar’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) and Bengal’s Special Task Force (STF). Another five men had earlier been detained from a housing complex in Kolkata’s New Town area for allegedly aiding the suspects. Police say the gang, led by Tauseef Badshah, had been on the run across state borders. They changed SIM cards to evade surveillance but were eventually traced using IMEI data. A white sedan used in their getaway from Patna was also seized. According to sources, the group initially sought refuge in New Town but were turned away. They later moved to a guest house in Anandapur, where they were apprehended. Meanwhile, five Bihar policemen posted at Patna’s Shastri Nagar police station — under whose jurisdiction the hospital falls — have been suspended for negligence in connection with the incident. Police say all ten suspects are currently being interrogated as the investigation into the high-profile killing continues.
