Ara : A 22-year-old accused in the murder of retired customs officer Ram Kumar Singh was injured in retaliatory police firing during an attempt to recover the weapon used in the crime in Ara early Friday. The accused, Pawan Yadav , allegedly opened fire at the police team while being taken to recover the weapon, forcing personnel to fire in self-defence.




The encounter took place at Sarangpur village Mor under Mufassil police station . Pawan, a resident of Ara Chandwa Housing Colony, sustained a bullet injury below his right knee and was admitted to Ara Sadar Hospital. He is out of danger.




Bhojpur SP Awadhesh Dixit said the accused opened fire without provocation during the weapon recovery, prompting controlled retaliatory firing by the police. A bullet also hit the bonnet of the police vehicle.




Ara Sadar SDPO-1 Sushil Kumar , who heads the special investigation team (SIT), said three shooters were involved in the murder. One of them, Pintu Kumar, had already been arrested. Pawan’s arrest followed a tip-off that he was fleeing to Patna. During questioning, he revealed how the murder was planned and carried out on Oct 15 and identified the weapons used.




Ram Kumar Singh, a retired customs assistant commissioner, was shot dead near his house in Kanakpuri locality under Ara Nawada police station on Oct 15.




Police said the murder stemmed from a dispute over 14 katthas of land owned by Singh. His son’s FIR alleged land grabbers had conspired to kill him to take possession of the property. Twelve people have been named in the FIR, while the investigation has revealed the involvement of around 20 suspected land grabbers. Ten accused, including main accused Chandan Singh and two of the three shooters, have been arrested so far.