The National Investigation Agency suspects that the two assailants killed by police in Nalgonda early on Saturday were among the five fugitive SIMI members wanted in connection with a bank robbery in Karimnagar in February 2014. CCTV footage from a camera at the bank had confirmed their involvement in the heist.
Madhya Pradesh police officials also concur and said, “We have received preliminary reports from our Telengana counterparts. A team is being sent for identification of those killed in the encounter.”
While seven prisoners had broken out of Khandwa jail in 2013, one surrendered a day later and the second was arrested in December 2013. The others, Mohammad Aijajuddin, Zakir Hussain, Aslam Khan, Mehboob and Amjad Khan, remained at large.
Saturday’s encounter comes weeks after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh wrote to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reminding him that the five alleged SIMI members were still absconding.”
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao and Home Minister Nayani Narsimha Reddy lauded the courage of the police team and paid tributes to constable Nagaraju. Mr Reddy announced an ex gratia of Rs. 40 lakh to the family of slain constable and visited the injured police officers who are recovering at a private hospital in Hyderabad.
