Sagar Hooch Tragedy: Rs 30K Rewarded Accused Shot In Leg, Arrested After Encounter | VIDEO

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A 21-year-old man carrying a reward of Rs 30,000 was arrested after a brief exchange of fire with police in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district early Sunday. The accused, identified as Shivanjay Rajput, was allegedly involved in making spurious liquor in Sagar, which has been linked to the deaths of at least 16 people in the Sagar spurious liquor tragedy.

Police said Rajput opened fire at a search team near the Kathua Nala forest area under Bahrol police station. He allegedly fired three rounds after spotting the police personnel while travelling on a motorcycle, leading to a police encounter in Sagar.

The police team fired two rounds in response, one of which hit Rajput in the leg. He was taken into custody and later admitted to a hospital. His condition was reported to be stable.

Rajput, a resident of Chhapri village under Banda police station, had been on the run since the Sagar spurious liquor case came to light. Police had announced a Rs 30,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

A country-made .315-bore pistol, three live rounds, three empty cartridges, a mobile phone and a motorcycle were recovered from him, police said. Sagar police are continuing their investigation into the spurious liquor case.

According to police, information was received early Sunday that Rajput was hiding in the forest near Kathua Nala. He was reportedly planning to take the Dhamoni-Bahrol road to reach his home in Chhapri.

Teams from Bandri and Bahrol police stations then surrounded the area and began searching for him. When Rajput allegedly spotted the police team, he opened fire before being injured in the retaliatory firing.

Police said Rajput had three criminal cases against him and had also been involved in liquor smuggling in the past.

19 Arrested So Far

With Rajput’s arrest, the number of people taken into custody in connection with the Sagar spurious liquor case has reached 19. Police have named around 30 people as accused across the FIRs registered in the case.

The latest arrest came two days after police caught another key accused, Ravi Lakhera, following a similar encounter. Lakhera, a resident of Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh, was also carrying a Rs 30,000 reward and was allegedly involved in producing the spurious liquor.

The liquor tragedy has claimed at least 16 lives since last Sunday, while one person undergoing treatment in hospital remains in critical condition.

Police suspect that a group operating from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh was involved in making and supplying the spurious liquor that was consumed in the affected areas.