Mob Attacks Police Team in Prayagraj’s Phulpur Area During Raid to Arrest Attempted Murder Accused; Several Officers Injured, 4 Arrested, Main Suspect Absconding

A police team conducting a late-night raid to apprehend a wanted criminal came under violent attack from villagers in Aghua village under Phulpur police station limits in Prayagraj district on Friday night.

The mob allegedly resorted to heavy stone-pelting, injuring several police personnel, including a senior sub-inspector, and damaging both government and private vehicles.

According to police officials, the raid was launched to arrest Mohammad Imran Ahmad alias Gulzar, a resident of Jugni Deeh village, who is facing serious charges, including attempt to murder and illegal sand mining.

Acting on surveillance inputs that traced the accused’s location to Aghua village, the police team reached the residence of village head Salim Khan alias Bablu, where the suspect was believed to be hiding.

As the police attempted to carry out the arrest, residents allegedly began protesting and soon turned aggressive.

The situation escalated rapidly, with a large group of villagers attacking the police team with stones.

In the ensuing violence, SSI Amit Kumar Singh and several other police personnel sustained injuries, while multiple police vehicles were damaged.

Amid the chaos, the main accused, Gulzar, managed to escape from the scene. Additional police forces from nearby stations were rushed to the spot after information about the attack spread.

During the operation, police arrested four individuals from the scene — Mohammad Ibrar Khan, village head Salim Khan, Arsh Khan, and Faraz Khan.

When the arrested individuals were brought to Sikandra police outpost, hundreds of supporters reportedly arrived in dozens of vehicles and surrounded the police post, creating further tension.

On receiving the information, ACP Phulpur Vivek Yadav reached the spot with a heavy police deployment to control the situation.

Local MLA Vijma Yadav also arrived at the police outpost in support of the accused and remained present for nearly four hours, adding a political dimension to the incident.

Police have registered a case against 14 individuals under serious penal provisions related to rioting, assault on public servants, obstruction of law enforcement duty, and damage to public property.

Multiple police teams have been deployed to trace and arrest the absconding main accused, Gulzar, along with other suspects believed to be involved in the attack.

Authorities have stated that strict action will be taken against those involved in the violent assault on the police team, emphasizing that attacks on law enforcement personnel will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

However, several law-abiding people in the area feel that an impartial inquiry should be ordered by higher authorities, as there were several loopholes in the police action, as well as the story put forward by the police, but they also said that the attack on the police force cannot be justified under any circumstances.