Mohali (Punjab) [India], January 17 : In a major development in the Mohali-based Rana Balachauria murder case, the prime accused, Karan Pathak, was killed in a police encounter early on Saturday morning.
According to SSP Harmandeep Singh, the accused, who was jailed at CIA Kharar, was taken to a hospital after complaining of chest pain. During the commute to the hospital, the police vehicle met with a minor accident after hitting a divider due to dense fog and low visibility. Taking advantage of the incident, the accused managed to flee after attacking the police personnel.
"The main shooter in the Rana Balachauria murder case was arrested in West Bengal. He was jailed in CIA Kharar. He complained about chest pain, for which he was taken to the hospital last night. Due to excessive fog and darkness, the vehicle collided with a divider. When the vehicle stopped, he attacked a personnel with the handcuffs on him. He managed to escape after injuring the personnel," SSP Singh told ANI.
Following his escape, Mohali police launched an intensive search operation and traced the accused to a nearby jungle area. SSP Singh said that when the team moved in to apprehend Pathak, he opened fire at the police party, forcing them to retaliate in self-defence. A brief exchange of fire followed, during which the police reportedly fired around seven rounds, while the accused also fired multiple shots at the personnel.
Karan Pathak was neutralised in the encounter and died on the spot. During the cross-firing, one police personnel sustained a bullet injury to his leg and was immediately shifted to a hospital. His condition is stated to be stable and out of danger.
Senior police officials reached the encounter site shortly after the incident. The area has been cordoned off, and a detailed investigation is currently underway. Police maintained that the encounter took place in self-defence while attempting to re-arrest the absconding accused.