Begusarai: Five members of a criminal gang were arrested after an encounter with a joint team of the state’s Special Task Force (STF) and local police in the Mansoorchak police station area of Begusarai district on Saturday. They were allegedly involved in a jewellery shop loot in Darbhanga on Friday and was hiding in the area.Begusarai SP Manish said that during the encounter, one of the five criminals sustained a bullet injury in his leg. “Apart from the arrested criminals, a few other persons have also been taken into custody and are being interrogated. While investigating the Darbhanga jewellery shop loot case, police interrogation revealed that the criminals were also linked to the Axis Bank loot case under the Teghra police station area here last month,” he said.Eyewitness Chandradev Paswan said the police operation began around 10am when the criminals were sitting at an eatery in the Narayanpur Chowk area. “Around the same time, STF personnel in plain clothes arrived and sat there. The criminals grew suspicious and attempted to flee, prompting the STF and police team to chase them. The criminals opened fire, to which the STF retaliated. While five gang members were arrested and others managed to escape,” he said.According to police, the operation continued for several hours till late afternoon. Police forces from several police stations were deployed to assist the STF. A large area near the spot was cordoned off, and civilians were not allowed to enter or leave during the search operation.On Friday, criminals with their faces covered had looted ornaments worth over Rs2 crore and cash of Rs25 lakh from a jewellery shop under the Town police station area of Darbhanga. The STF later received inputs that the gang involved in the loot had taken shelter near Narayanpur Chowk, leading to the joint operation on Saturday.
