UP: Days after being shot by police in leg, cattle smuggling suspect dies

Ghazipur Superintendent of Police Omvir Singh said on Sunday that an autopsy has been conducted and the report is awaited.

A native of Bihar, Kumar was facing eight cases in Ghazipur and Chandauli, registered under provisions of the UP Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

According to the police, Kumar was caught carrying five cattle in a vehicle to Bihar Wednesday night. While the Dildar Nagar police arrested Kumar, his two associates managed to escape.

During questioning, Kumar told the police that he had kept three more cattle at a house in Raksha village. A police team then took Kumar along and raided the house.

After rescuing the animals, as the raiding team got busy in completing formalities, Kumar pulled out a countrymade pistol which he had hid in the house, the police said.

“He threatened the police and tried to escape. When the police chased Sunil Kumar, he opened fire on them. The police fired in retaliation in which Sunil Kumar suffered a bullet injury in his right leg,” said a police officer.

The injured suspect was nabbed and taken to hospital. After initial medical treatment, he was sent to judicial custody. “When Sunil reached jail Thursday evening, he was carrying documents in which the doctor who treated him had referred him to Varanasi for treatment. We sent him to Varanasi with the same police team that had brought him to jail,” said an officer posted at Ghazipur District Jail.

Kumar’s family in Bihar’s Kaimpur district has been informed about the death, the police said.