PATNA, April 30 -- A day after the sensational killing of an executive officer and the grievous attack on the Sultanganj Nagar Parishad chairman in Bhagalpur, Bihar police on Wednesday gunned down the alleged mastermind, Ramdhani Yadav, 52, after an encounter while he was being taken for a firearm search after his arrest. The encounter took place just 200 metres from the Sultanganj police station and 100 metres from Yadav's house around 2:30 a.m. A deputy SP and two inspectors also sustained injuries in the firefight, a senior police officer said. A police officer said that the encounter lasted for about 15 minutes. According to Bhagalpur District Magistrate Nawal Kishor Chaudhary, Yadav was married to Neelam Devi, the vice-chairperson of Sultanganj Nagar Parishad, who allegedly orchestrated the attack on chairman Rajkumar alias Guddu "because of personal rivalry." Ramdhani's son Manish Yadav is the district president of Chirag Paswan LJP-RV while his wife had also unsuccessfully contested the Sultanganj assembly seat in 2020 from LJP-RV. Bhagalpur SSP Pramod Kumar Yadav, while briefing about the encounter, said that as police intensified investigations into Tuesday's firing, the criminals involved in the incident reached the local police station in an autorickshaw to surrender. "After questioning them, the police took Ramdhani Yadav into custody. He is the husband of the current SNP vice-chairperson. As we took him to a place for the seizure of the weapon used in the crime, his associates arrived there and opened fire on the police team in a bid to free him by force," he said. He added that Ramdhani too tried to take advantage of this situation and attempted to flee by firing at the police. "In response, the police also fired at him. He died during treatment in the hospital," said the SSP, adding that three of his officers, including a DSP named Naveen and two inspectors-Parmeshwar and Mritunjay - received injuries in the firefight. The police said that soon after Tuesday's shootout, a thorough investigation of the CCTV footage, circumstantial evidence and questioning of several people led to the identification of the perpetrators, including Yadav. "Ramdhani Yadav was visible in the CCTV footage," said a police officer. He added that an accomplice of Yadav, one of the three Tuesday shooters identified as Deepak, was also arrested after the encounter. Deepak is a history-sheeter criminal and has also been involved in a murder case previously, he said. Yadav too had a history of crimes and was quite notorious in Sultanganj area, police said. More than seven FIRs related to extortion, the Arms Act, attempt to murder, and the Excise Act were registered against him with the Sultanganj police station. He was also accused of grabbing 50 acres of land worth around Rs.100 crore belonging to the Ajgaibinath Trust. He had enmity and rivalry with SNP chairman Rajkumar Guddu because of tenders in the area. According to some locals, Guddu had allegedly planned to eliminate him in 2023. Thus, driven by revenge and rivalry, he hatched a plan to kill Guddu. On Tuesday, while Guddu was in his office, three gunmen barged into his chamber and opened fire. His assistant, EO Krishna Bhushan, tried to scuffle with the shooters who fired at him point-blank. He succumbed to his injuries. Guddu also received bullet injuries and is reportedly critical in a Patna hospital. Yadav's family refutes the police's claim of an encounter and said that he was killed in custody. His daughter Priyanka Kumari, an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) posted in Katoria (Banka), said that her father had gone to surrender and later the family received news that an encounter had taken place and he had been killed. Meanwhile, the murdered EO was cremated with full state honours in Madhubani on Wednesday. Chief minister Samrat Choudhary also announced an ex-gratia of Rs.25 lakh to his family....