Patna: Patna police and suspected extortionists exchanged 62 rounds of fire on the Sone river in Bihta on Sunday morning after a team moved in against criminals allegedly threatening boatmen and collecting money from illegal mining activities. A top-10 criminal was injured, two others were arrested and two police personnel were hurt during the operation.The gunfight took place near Parev under Bihta police station after police received information about a group of criminals operating on the river. A special team led by Bihta SHO inspector Amit Kumar reached the area to verify the information.Patna SSP Kartikeya K Sharma said the team spotted several suspects travelling in a boat near a bridge and signalled them to stop. “Instead, the criminals had opened fire at the police personnel. The police had retaliated, leading to a brief exchange of fire on the river.”According to the SSP, the criminals fired around 40 rounds while police fired 22. During the exchange, Anish Kumar, identified as a top-10 criminal, suffered a bullet injury to his leg and was admitted to PMCH under police custody. Piyush Kumar was arrested near the boat, while two other suspects escaped by jumping into the river.Bihta SHO Inspector Amit suffered a head injury during the operation, while SI Raju Kumar Singh sustained a bullet injury and was admitted to hospital.Police recovered empty bullet casings, two pistols, a rifle, a carbine, a country-made pistol and around 25 live cartridges from the scene.The SSP said Anish had six cases registered against him and was wanted in connection with an AK-47-related case. An AK-47 had also been recovered from him during a similar incident last year. Piyush also had a criminal history.The operation was launched after police verified the extortion allegations. Sharma praised the police personnel, particularly Amit and Raju, for confronting the armed suspects despite the risks.Searches continued along the Sone river and surrounding areas for the escaped suspects. Investigators were also examining the seized weapons and questioning the arrested accused to establish the extent of the alleged extortion network and their involvement in previous crimes.
