Police constable, fake currency racketeer die in encounter
Police take on fake note racketeers near Shamirpet
By : k.k. abdul rahoof
Update: 2014-08-03 01:47 GMT
Hyderabad: A constable and a gangster were killed and a sub-inspector was critically injured in a clash between the police and fake currency racketeers in Shamirpet on Friday midnight.
One racketeer was shot dead after three gangsters went on a stabbing spree after the police stopped their vehicle.
Constable T. Eswar Rao, 26, sustained grievous injuries on his chest and arms, and succumbed on the way to hospital. Sub-inspector Venkat Reddy was admitted to a corporate hospital with stab injuries. One of the racketeers, Mustafa, died on the spot after he was shot from a close range by the injured SI.
Eswar Rao, 26, was adventurous and enthusiastic. He was the one who collected information about the fake currency racket and prompted the decoy operation. A 2011 batch cop, Rao was also a civil service aspirant, and was preparing for the examinations.
“He was about to take leave next month to go for coaching, so that he can appear for the preliminary examinations.,” said his cousin K. Manmadha Rao. His friends say that Rao was a courageous man, and was always ready for difficult jobs.
Rao’s college mates remember him as a sportsman. “He was a state-level kabaddi player in college. He was also active in Scouts & Guides and NCC,” said one of his college mates Chiranjeevi. Rao completed BSc from a private college.
Cyberabad police commissioner C.V. Anand was all praise for him. “He got the lead for the decoy operation, and confronted the gang without any hesitation,” said Mr Anand. Higher officials picked him for the Zonal Task Force, which comes directly under the Zonal DCP, as he was very brave. He had also undergone commando training, officials said.
Rao’s brother and other relatives were inconsolable, when they came to receive his body at the Gandhi Hospital mortuary. “At around 1.15 am, I got a call from the police stating that my brother had an accident and his condition is serious. By the time we reached hospital, he was dead,” Rao’s brother T. Ramanamurthy said.
Rao, who belonged to Srikakulam district, was staying with his brother and sister at Ganeshnagar.
Encounter exposes police
The weaknesses of the police were exposed once again when the cops were attacked by criminals. Due to the lack of precaution, four cops were injured in incidents at Banjara Hills and Bolarum a few weeks ago.
In one incident, a prostitution agent stabbed two cops during a brothel raid. In another incident a gang of dacoits attacked a patrol when they tried to catch them during a burglary at a former army officer’s house.
Although senior cops claim that half the team were armed while conducting the decoy operation it is still a mystery how four gangsters escaped, and drove away after stabbing police officials.
“Six of our team members were armed, however, since it was dark and our men were spread around, it was difficult to shoot,” said Balanagar DCP A.R. Srinivas. He said that several such operations were conducted successfully by the team. Experts say that the casualties could have been reduced if experienced cops were in the team. While the police team had 12 members, there were only five men in the car. Despite having superiority in numbers, the operation ended tragically.