Cop shot dead while chasing miscreants in MP's Seoni dist; CM announce Rs 1 cr assistance

Seoni/Bhopal (MP): A head constable died after he was shot while chasing a group of miscreants in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district, police said on Friday.

Head constable Rakesh Thakur died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Nagpur city of neighbouring Maharashtra, an official said.

Acting on a lead in a theft case, a police team was pursuing miscreants fleeing towards Chhindwara in an SUV on Thursday night, he said.

On noticing the police on Lakhanwada road, they turned their vehicle towards Seoni town and stopped near Bamhodi, when a team led by Thakur spotted them, the official said.

"One of the four accused opened fire with his pistol and the bullet hit Thakur on his chest. Three of the accused were nabbed on the spot, while the man who fired fled. Thakur was rushed to a local hospital and later referred to Nagpur," he said.

Thakur died after he suffered a heart attack during treatment, Seoni Superintendent of Police Rakesh Kumar Singh said, adding his last rites will be performed at Dobh, his ancestral village in the district, with full state honours.

Accused Pradyumn Vaishnav (24), Gulshan Das Vaishnav (34) and Janak Singh Khanna (46) have been held while efforts were on to nab the fourth person Saddam, he said.

The police have seized a revolver, 20 cartridges and an SUV from the arrested men, the SP said.

Expressing grief over the incident, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the slain cop will be given 'martyr' status and his kin will be given assistance of Rs 1 crore as well as a government job.

Yadav said the fourth accused will be nabbed soon.

There is no place in MP for the crime and criminals and they will not be spared, he asserted.