Punjab: Drug smuggler killed, another arrested in encounter with police

Acting on a tip-off, Punjab Police chased the drug smugglers when the latter suddenly started firing at police. Police opened fire in retaliation and one smuggler was shot dead. Another smuggler was arrested from the spot.

Tarn Taran (Punjab): A drug smuggler was killed and another arrested in an encounter with Punjab Police, officials said on Saturday. The deceased smuggler has been identified as Jora Singh.

The incident took place in Kairon village of Kasaba Patti in Punjab's Tarn Taran late last night. When the police were chasing the drug peddlers in the bordering district of Tarn Taran, the latter suddenly started firing indiscriminately. The police opened fire in retaliation in which one of the smugglers sustained bullet injuries and died on the spot.

Tarn Taran Police got information about the drug traffickers and initiated a search operation in the area. When a car was stopped at Koti Sekhan village, it took a u-turn and drove away. The police became suspicious and started chasing the car.

Finding a police vehicle following them, the miscreants tried to escape by driving their car at a higher speed. When the chase continued, the smugglers started firing at police. The police shot back in retaliation. In the exchange of fire that broke out between the smugglers and the police, one miscreant received bullet injuries and died.

It is not yet known as to what was recovered from the drug smugglers. The police forensic team has reached the spot.

Earlier, in a similar encounter between a team of Jalandhar Special Task Force (STF) and drug peddlers, a constable was injured and later died during treatment. While chasing the smugglers, who were on a motorbike, the STF reached Janian village near Amritsar-Tarn Taran road.

When the team was about to nab the smugglers, the accused opened fire at the police. An STF constable Gurdeep Singh, sustained bullet injuries and was immediately admitted to a private hospital in Amritsar, where he died during treatment. Gurdeep Singh was a resident of Jalandhar. The accused escaped after evading the police.