Six held for attacking Police while arresting thief

Tensions flared in the Lakshminagar area of Churaibari late Sunday night as a group of local vigilantes clashed with police officers in a dramatic turn of events. The chaos erupted when residents, alarmed by a surge in thefts, detained a suspected thief during their neighborhood patrol.

The situation escalated when responding police officers faced delays in reaching the scene. Upon their arrival, residents demanded the release of the suspect, a request promptly rebuffed by the authorities. As the police took the suspect into custody and left, agitated youths pursued them, leading to a violent showdown at the Churaibari police station.

Armed with bricks and riding motorcycles, the mob launched an assault on the police station, resulting in injuries to several officers, including OC Inspector Samaresh Das, Sub-Inspectors Biswajit Chowdhury and Sudeep Jamatia, Constable Khokan Deb, SPO Aminul Haque, and a female constable. Several police vehicles' rear windows were shattered during the confrontation.

In response, police personnel from Naka Point rushed to the station's defense, prompting the assailants to flee. Subsequently, five individuals, identified as Arup Nath (30), Pabitra Nath (35), Dipak Goswami (29), Ajay Debnath (27), Rasmoy Debnath, Animesh Nath (37), and Bijit Nath (34) from various wards of Lakshminagar Gram Panchayat, were arrested. Weapons such as rods, knives, and self-defense sticks were confiscated from the suspects.

Today, the Churaibari Police Station filed case number 17/2024, citing various sections of the Indian Penal Code: 148, 149, 448, 353, 333, 506, and 427, along with sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

While the sub-divisional police officer was swiftly dispatched to the scene, officials have refrained from disclosing further details. The community remains tense in the aftermath of the night's tumultuous events.