A suspected dacoit, who allegedly headed a dacoit group operating across Nagaon, Lakhimpur district and other parts of Assam, was killed in a police encounter on Tuesday in Nagaon, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Partha Pratim Das, said the shootout between a group of suspected robbers and police took place in the Rangalu area of the district around 2.30 am. A 7.65 mm pistol, two empty cartridges, and a number of sharp weapons were found at the site of the clash.
“Based on specific intelligence…we launched an operation. But soon after our team reached the spot, people opened fire,” Das said. He added that the police responded in self-defense.
The deceased, identified as Khairul Ali alias Muni, 32, was a resident of Lakhimpur district and was allegedly involved in several acts of dacoits across the state, including one from April 24 at a doctor’s residence in Nagaon district, where his wife died.
The operation led by the Additional Superintendent of Police, which was launched on Monday evening, resulted in the injury of two gang members while the rest fled.
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He added: “We believe there were more individuals involved, but most of them managed to escape. Two of them were injured and were taken to a government hospital, where doctors declared one of them dead.”
On April 24, Dr Ranjit Saikia and his wife Rubrekha Bhuyan Saikia were attacked by robbers after they confronted them. While the couple was seriously injured, their nine-year-old son escaped unharmed. On May 11, Ruberja died of her injuries.
A case has been registered against Khairul and five others under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 310 (2) (crime with murder). While several individuals were arrested, the main suspect, Khair Al-Ali, remained at large.
According to police, two local residents, Harish Sharma and Satish Shah, allegedly served as key informants for the gang who posed as juice vendors.
“They used to collect information about potential targets and share it with Khairul, who would later prepare and implement the plan. One of these plans was completed recently, but we intervened before it was implemented,” the officers said.
A team of eight to nine robbers, including Khairul, arrived in Nagaon a few days ago and stayed at a hotel in the town, police said. “We are not revealing their goal this time, but it was a big plan,” the officers said.
The Sudanese Public Prosecution said: “Khairul was the mastermind behind this blackmail, and we found at least nine criminal cases registered against him.”
After the encounter, Khairul’s body was sent to Nagaon Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination and his family members were asked to visit the hospital to identify it.
Police said that efforts are underway to track down the rest of the gang members who managed to escape during the operation.
