Police joint operation frees abductee

Morena, MP, June 21: In a joint operation, Madhya Pradesh Police and their Rajasthan counterparts have rescued an abductee from the clutches of the Jagjivan Parihar gang -- during an encounter in forests surrounding this district's Khandoli village.

''A police team surrounded bandits at the village and freed Mr Ashok Sharma. The dacoits fled under cover of darkness and six persons are still in captivity,'' Superintendent of Police Yogesh Chaudhary said at the scene of last night's encounter.

The gang, which carries a reward of rs 1.25 lakh, escaped into ravines after fleeing along the Chambal riverbank. The Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh border has subsequently been sealed.

On June 4, the Parihar gang entered the state after abducting seven persons from Rajasthan's Tidawli village. Senior officers from the Desert State yesterday conducted helicopter searches in Bhind, Morena and Uttar Pradesh's Etawah.

UNI