Bengaluru, Jun 24 (IANS): The police here opened fire at a criminal Mohammed Saleem to immobilise and arrest him in the early hours of Thursday after he attacked a constable who was part of a police search team.
The police said that this incident took place adjacent to the railway track in Govindapura police limits and after he was shot on his knee, the accused was immediately rushed to hospital for treatment.
According to the police, Saleem was on the run after committing a murder of another criminal Kareem Ali on Tuesday.
The police added that Ali was an associate of notorious gangster Rasheed Malbari alias Rasheed Hussain Sheikh, who is a close aide of gangster Chota Shakeel. Malbari is at present lodged in the Mangaluru prison facing several charges murders, extortion and even hatching conspiracy to execute BJP leader Varun Gandhi and Sri Ram Sene Chief Pramod Mutalik and others.
The police said that after a tip off special team including sub-inspector, Imran and constable Hamza Bilagi, who were in forefront in the rounding up operations, Saleem attacked Bilagi with a machete and in response to this attack, Imran had to open fire at Saleem on his knee, who was attempting to flee.
Malabari operated his gang in south India by setting up his base in Kasargod district of Kerala which shares its border with Mangaluru, where a major port of the state is located, the police said.
The police have registered a case and investigation is on.