PRAYAGRAJ, July 30 -- Two of the named accused in the abduction and gangrape of a girl-following the assault of her friend and brother-were arrested after a shootout with police in Pratapgarh on Monday night. Both sustained gunshot wounds to their legs and have been admitted to the medical college hospital for treatment, police said. "Both were injured in the retaliatory firing by the police after being shot in the leg. The injured accused were identified as Riyaz Ahmad and Atif, named in the gangrape of the girl. Two 315 bore pistols were recovered from the duo. They have been admitted to the medical college hospital for treatment", shared the Jethwara police station house officer Subhash Yadav. A girl from a village under Jetwara police station area had come to withdraw money from the Tiny branch in Babuganj market under Lilapur police station area on June 21. When she met her friend and her brother there, all three went towards the Sai river bridge. On the bridge, two youths riding a bike intercepted them, beat up her friend and her brother and chased them away. They kidnapped the girl and gangraped her and also made a video of the act. On July 28, after the father of victim came to know about the incident, he registered a case of gangrape against Riyaz and Atif and assault against some others in Jethwara police station. A criminal from Prayagraj was injured after being shot in the right leg during a police encounter in the Basuapur forest area of Pratapgarh on Monday night. Police recovered a country-made pistol and an unregistered motorcycle from his possession. Station house officer (SHO) of Sangipur police station, Manish Kumar Tripathi, stated that a team led by him was patrolling the Basuapur forest area when they attempted to stop a man on a motorcycle. The man opened fire on the police team. In retaliatory firing, he sustained a bullet injury to his right leg and was subsequently apprehended. The injured suspect was identified as Chhailababu Saroj, a resident of Barej village in the Nawabganj area of Prayagraj. He was initially taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC) and later referred to the medical college hospital for further treatment. Multiple cases involving serious crimes have been registered against him in various police stations in Prayagraj. A further investigation is underway, the SHO added. A man accused of robbing a Jan Seva Kendra operator was injured and arrested during a police encounter in the Maheshganj police station area of Pratapgarh on Monday night. The accused, identified as Anshu Dubey, a resident of Nawabganj in Prayagraj, sustained a gunshot wound to the leg. Police recovered a country-made pistol and a motorcycle from his possession and admitted him to a hospital. Rajkumar Saroj, a resident of Heeraganj in the Maheshganj area, operates a Jan Seva Kendra (public service center). On the evening of June 30, he was returning home on his scooter after closing the center when three motorcycle-borne assailants snatched his bag and fled. The bag contained a laptop and Rs 10,000 in cash. Police had been investigating the case using CCTV footage to track suspects. On Monday night, station house officer (SHO) Mukesh Kumar Singh was patrolling near Mahewa Malkiya village when his team signaled a motorcyclist to stop. The suspect opened fire and attempted to flee, prompting police to return fire. He was shot in the leg and taken into custody, the SHO said. A criminal was shot in the leg during a police encounter in Pratapgarh early on Tuesday morning. His accomplice was also arrested after a short chase, according to police officials. The police action came after an assault took place on July 28 near Kailidih canal bridge, under Fatanpur police station. A youth was attacked with sticks, rods, a country-made pistol, and other weapons. Following a complaint, police filed an FIR against five men, including the two caught on Tuesday. At around 3 am, a special police team led by inspector Arjun Singh and SHO Rajendra Kumar Tiwari of Fatanpur police station was patrolling near Birapur village.They saw two suspicious men near Basirha village. When the police approached, the suspects opened fire, said CO (Raniganj) Vinay Prabhakar Sahni. The police fired back, and one of the suspects, Ravi Singh,28, alias Bunty, was hit in the leg. He is a resident of Chhanapar and has more than twelve cases against him. His accomplice, Akash Rachit Singh,24, of Baruara village, was caught after a brief chase. Ravi Singh was taken to Gaura Community Health Centre and later shifted to Pratapgarh Medical College. His condition is said to be stable. CO Sahni said that the police are taking strict action against criminals who try to spread fear and violence in society. He also noted that Bunty Singh was involved in a double murder case in Pratapgarh in 2017. htc...