Prime accused in Meher murder gives cops slip despite bullet wound

Lucknow, Mar 29 (UNI) The prime accused in the sensational Meher Bhargava murder case today gave Lucknow Police a slip despite being shot at in an encounter here this afternoon.

Police admitted that Sachin Pahari alias Amit Singh used his knowledge of the area to escape the police dragnet in the crowded Kaiserbagh area.

SSP (Lucknow) Ashutosh Pandey told reporters here Pahari was shot at and wounded in the encounter.

''But, it seems he was aware of police presence...he managed to escape as police used controlled fire to avoid possibilities of a civilian casulty.'' Pahari, who runs various parking lots in the area, was well aware of the topography, which helped him fool the cops.

Meanwhile, two accused -- one who harboured him after the crime and another who was present when Meher was shot -- were arrested today.

The SSP said the encounter took place around 1430 hrs near a bakery in the crowded Kaiserbagh area. Sachin, accompanied by six members of his gang was challenged.

''We shot him, but he managed to enter a crowded bylane...we are checking all nursing homes and hospitals in the vicinity,'' Pandey added.

Meanwhile, local police also raided the Old Councillors' Residence (OCR) building to nab Sachin. He had been using one of the flats to make phone calls. No one, however, was arrested from the building.

Mr Pandey said Sachin was in the state capital for the past eight days.

Police brought Sanjay Menon before media, who harboured him for two days and Sunny Rawat, who was present when the crime took place.

Sanjay's younger sibling Vijay had been involved in cases of murder with Pahari.

Rawat, meanwhile, claimed Pahari shot at Meher after a heated argument when the goons passed lewd remarks on her daughter-in-law.

When cops took Rawat at Bhargava household for identification, the family members claimed it was him who shot her. ''They were obviously angry...we somehow managed to save him from being beaten up there,'' Pandey claimed.

Meher was shot at by miscreants in the busy Hazratganj area -- barely few yards away from the SSP residence -- when she objected to lewd remarks passed on her daughter-in-law.

She was partially paralysed following the bullet wound and breathed last at a hospital in the national capital.

Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has assured speedy action against the prime accused. Soon after Yadav's visit, the police suspended senior SI and Investigating Officer Dinesh Chandra Dubey and SI K M Rai.

Mr Yadav also asked the IG (Zone), Lucknow, to ensure expedient action, which was followed by the arrest of K D Singh under charges of harbouring the assailants.

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