Two men facing over a dozen serious criminal cases and carrying rewards on their heads were killed in an encounter with police near here in Madhya Pradesh in the wee hours of Monday, officials said.
The encounter, which took place near Kumhroda village, left three policemen, including a senior officer, with minor injuries, they said.
The deceased, Vijay Yadav and Samir Khan, were carrying rewards of Rs 30,000 and Rs 15,000, respectively, on their heads and wanted in the murder of Congress leader Raju Mishra, Inspector General (Jabalpur Zone) Vikas Sharma said.
Besides being accused in the murder of the Jabalpur- based Congress leader, the duo faced a slew of other criminal cases, he said.
As many as 18 criminal cases, including murder, were registered against Yadav, while Khan faced 20 offences in different police stations, Sharma said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Gurukaran Singh said acting on a tip-off about the criminals roaming in the area in a car, a team headed by Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rajesh Tiwari reached Kumhroda.
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On seeing the police, the duo started firing at them, triggering a gunfight, Singh said.
In the retaliatory firing by the police, both the criminals were killed, he said.
The SP said Tiwari, Gotegaon Police Station in-charge Prabhat Shukla and head constable Rajesh Sharma sustained minor injuries in the exchange of fire.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the encounter, Singh said.
Talking to PTI, ASP Tiwari said, "When we tried to stop the car in which these criminals were travelling, they started firing at the police team.
"In the retaliatory fire, they got injured and died in a hospital later on.