UP: Two accused of chain-snatching arrested after police encounter in Varanasi, one injured

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 17 (ANI): Two miscreants allegedly involved in a chain-snatching incident in July were arrested on Sunday after an encounter with Varanasi Police during vehicle checking on the Ring Road, with one of the accused sustaining a gunshot injury, police said.
According to police, the action was carried out on August 16 at around 11:30 pm while a police team was conducting vehicle checking in the Lalpur Police Station area.
The arrested accused have been identified as Pradyumna Mal alias Prateek (21), a resident of Chiutha under Chiuratal Police Station in Gorakhpur, and Ved Prakash Dubey alias Monty (30), a resident of Taramandal Rampur under Ramgarhtal Police Station in Gorakhpur.
During the encounter, Pradyumna Mal sustained a gunshot injury to his leg. He was subsequently arrested and taken to Harhua Hospital for medical treatment, police said.
The police said the arrests led to the solving of a chain-snatching case registered at Lalpur Police Station.
On July 17 at around 7:30 pm, an elderly woman was allegedly targeted by two unidentified men riding a Pulsar motorcycle in Ramrepur village. Following the incident, Case Crime No. 205/2026 was registered under Section 309(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police said that two .315-bore country-made pistols, two live cartridges, Rs 75,000 in cash, melted yellow metal and two mobile phones were recovered from the accused.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed their involvement in criminal incidents in Ghazipur, Mau and other districts.
Police said that details of their criminal history are being verified and further legal proceedings are underway.
Earlier on Saturday, two suspected criminals were shot and injured during an encounter with the police in the Dankaur area of Greater Noida after they allegedly held two passengers hostage inside a car and extorted money from them via online transfers.
The incident unfolded when a Police Response Vehicle (PRV) received an emergency call from a man stating that his 27-year-old brother, Hemendra, had been taken hostage inside a vehicle and was being coerced into transferring funds online. (ANI)