Bihar Excise Constable Ajit Kumar Shot Dead During Anti-Liquor Smuggling Operation In Nalanda, Manhunt Launched For Attackers

Patna: An excise constable was shot dead during an operation against liquor smugglers in Bihar’s Nalanda district on Wednesday night, police said.

Constable Ajit Kumar was critically injured when a suspected associate of liquor smugglers opened fire on an excise team near a flyover on the Pawapuri-Silao highway. He died during treatment at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH).

Excise superintendent Sanjay Kumar Chaudhary confirmed the incident, adding that excise officials and district police had launched a search for the attackers.

The operation began after the Excise Intelligence Bureau (EIB) at its Patna headquarters received a tip-off that a large consignment of liquor was being transported into Nalanda in a pickup van via Kharat Mor. A special EIB team from Patna, along with officials from the Rajgir excise department, set out to intercept the vehicle.

During the operation, as the team moved to stop the pickup van near a flyover on the Pawapuri-Silao highway, a suspected liner allegedly providing logistical support to the smugglers opened fire, hitting Kumar. The suspects then fled with the pickup van.

Kumar was initially taken to the Bhagwan Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences in Pawapuri and later referred to PMCH, where he succumbed to his injuries. His post-mortem examination is being conducted in Patna.

Excise station house officer Nitish Kumar said raids were underway to identify and arrest the suspects. Police have also stepped up searches on the highway and adjoining roads.