Representative image for an arrest.
Credit: iStock Photo
Gorakhpur: The alleged mastermind of an inter-state human trafficking racket was on Sunday arrested following an encounter with police in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur.
The accused, Moharram alias Rahul, sustained a bullet injury in his leg after attempting to flee custody with a police officer’s pistol, officials said.
The encounter took place around 4 am in the Pipraich area during a site inspection by the police. During the inspection, Moharram suddenly snatched the service pistol of a woman sub-inspector and opened fire while trying to escape, they said.
The police retaliated, shooting him in the leg. He was immediately taken to the district hospital for treatment, officials added.
Additional Superintendent of Police (North) Jitendra Kumar Srivastava said Moharram was a key operative of a gang involved in trafficking young women to states like Haryana and Rajasthan.
“He not only trafficked girls across state borders but also instigated them against the country,” the ASP added.
Moharram, a resident of Budhadih in Maharajganj's Nichlaul, had earlier been detained in connection with a human trafficking case, the police said.
Several members of the trafficking ring had been arrested two days earlier. An FIR has been registered at the Pipraich police station, police said adding that further investigation is underway to dismantle the broader network and explore the accused’s connections with other criminal activities.