A gangster was killed and a probationary sub-inspector (SI) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police died after sustaining head injuries during a shootout within the premises of the Government Medical College (GMC) in Kathua late on Tuesday night.
The incident took place at around 10.30 pm near Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital.
The police identified the deceased sub-inspector as Deepak Sharma of Udhampur and said he was posted at Ramgarh police station in Samba district. A special police officer (SPO) was also injured in the shootout, the police added, the Indian Express reported.
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The deceased gangster was identified as Vasudev alias Shunnu of Ramgarh. He had over half a dozen criminal cases registered against him at Ramgarh police station and had also been detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) in the past, the police said.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of officials chased gangster Vasudev, a key accused in a murder case registered at Ramgarh police station, which led to an exchange of fire near the hospital, a police spokesperson told news agency PTI.
The shootout took place after a police team intercepted the members of a gang linked to the 2023 murder of a gangster.
Vasudev was killed in the encounter while one of his associates was injured.
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The incident sparked panic in Kathua, which is headed to polls during the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir on April 19, with locals suspecting it was a militant attack.
The other gang members accompanying Shunnu escaped. Police teams from Kathua and Samba districts have cordoned off the area and plugged all routes to Punjab to prevent the criminals from leaving Jammu and Kashmir.