Prime accused in Bahraich murder case arrested after an encounter

Lucknow: Five suspects involved in the recent violence in Bahraich were arrested on Thursday following an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police during which two of them sustained gunshot injuries, according to senior officials.

The suspects were reportedly attempting to flee to Nepal, which borders the Bahraich district, before being intercepted. “Five accused have been arrested,” additional director general of police (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said, adding, “Bahraich police, which is investigating the murder and subsequent violence, has established a link involving one of the accused in Nepal.”

The arrested people have been identified as Mohammad Faheen, Mohammad Sarfaraz and Abdul Hameed — who were named in the FIR — along with Mohammad Taleem alias Sabloo and Mohammad Afzal.

Bahraich superintendent of police Vrinda Shukla reported that Sarfaraz and Taleem sustained injuries during the encounter in the Nanpara area of Bahraich.

She said the suspects were attempting to flee to Nepal when the Special Task Force (STF) and Bahraich police received a tip-off regarding their whereabouts. Acting on it, the police intercepted the suspects near the Handa Basehari canal in the Nanpara Kotwali area. As officers approached, the suspects opened fire, prompting the police to retaliate. During the exchange, Sarfaraz and Talib were shot, while the police successfully arrested Sarfaraz’s brother Fahim, his father Abdul Hamid and another individual.

The violence in Bahraich erupted on Sunday in the Maharajganj area of Mahsi tehsil, allegedly over loud music played outside a place of worship during a Durga Puja immersion procession. The victim, 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra, who was part of the passing group, died from gunshot wounds during the ensuing violence, which triggered acts of vandalism and arson. Several houses, shops, showrooms, hospitals and vehicles were set ablaze by mobs.

A video of the incident shows Mishra on the roof of Hamid’s house, holding a saffron flag. As he attempts to wrap the flag, a gunshot rings out and Mishra collapses after being struck in the chest. In the background, children’s voices can be heard shouting: “He’s dead… he’s dead, run… run”, amplifying the distressing nature of the scene.

Amid the police action, Rukhsar, the daughter of accused Hameed, claimed that her father and two brothers, Sarfaraz and Faheem, along with another youth, were taken into custody by the STF. In a video, she alleged: “My husband and brother-in-law have already been picked up. There is no news of them. We fear that they may have been killed in an encounter.”

Following the encounter, the Samajwadi Party (SP) criticized the state government on social media, raising concerns about the law and order situation. “Crimes are rampant in the BJP-Yogi government, jewelry of women, sisters, and daughters is being stolen and snatched. Are riots being instigated to divert public attention from these crimes, and are encounters being carried out to hush the matter?” the SP’s media cell posted on X. The post was accompanied by a clipping of a news article with the headline: “Chain looted from a medicine trader by goons near a state minister’s house in Muzaffarnagar.”