Ballia (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 6 (ANI): Police arrested 5 alleged thieves following an encounter in Ballia, with two of them sustaining bullet injuries in their legs during an exchange of fire, police said.

Silver ornaments, including a serpent idol and a crown allegedly stolen from temples, were recovered from their possession.

According to police, the incident took place late last night when a police team was checking vehicles on the road from Lakhneshwardih to Am Ghat under the Rasra police station area. A car approached the checkpoint, and when the police signalled it to stop, the occupants allegedly tried to flee.

Police chased the vehicle. When the suspects found themselves surrounded, they allegedly opened fire at the police team. Police returned fire in self-defence, injuring 2 occupants, identified as Zeeshan Alam and Chandrashekhar, in their legs.

The other three accused, Suraj Paswan, Chandrashekhar Kumar and Bala Lakhandar Kumar, were caught after a chase. Police said all five accused are residents of Motihari district in Bihar.

During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed to stealing a silver serpent and a crown from the Lakhneshwardih temple in the Rasra police station area. They also allegedly stole a crown of Radha-Krishna from Panch Mandir in Ghazipur district.

Additional Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar Shukla said all five accused have been arrested. The two injured accused are undergoing treatment, and legal proceedings are underway. 

Meanwhile, in another case from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, a member of an international wildlife trafficking syndicate has been arrested on Saturday (October 31), according to the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force (STF). 

The STF apprehended the trafficker, Firoz Musharrat Khan, from Iradatnagar, under the jurisdiction of the Madiyanv police station. Upon search, seven falcons of a rare species were recovered from the accused.

The value of the recovered birds in the international market is estimated at approximately Rs 14 crore. A mobile phone and an Aadhaar card were also seized from the accused, who is a resident of Mumbai.

The STF Media cell said that the birds were allegedly sourced from the forests of Gorakhpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Sitapur, and subsequently supplied to Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. (ANI)