A police inspector was shot dead by some car-borne assailants in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad city, police said Friday.
Inspector General (Law and Order) R.K. Vishwakarma told IANS that Bara police station chief R.P. Dwivedi was chasing criminals when he was shot dead late Thursday.
An informer had called Dwivedi on his mobile to tell him about some criminals' movement in a car in his area. Soon after speaking to the informer, Dwivedi went alone in his car to chase down the criminals. But they opened fire on the officer on Bargarh Marg, killing him on the spot, a police official said.
A manhunt has been launched to nab the attackers.
Senior police officials admit that cases of attacks on policemen have increased since the Samajwadi Party (SP) government was voted to power in March last year.
Only a few days back, a constable was killed in Bareilly. Earlier this year, a deputy superintendent of police was killed in Balipur village of Kunda region in Pratapgarh. Two more constables were also shot dead in the past.