Drug smuggler commits suicide during police encounter

Following a fierce gunfight with the police, an alleged drug smuggler today committed suicide in Bhimana, Rajasthan, police said.

Khartaram of Barmer who was also an absconding murder accused died in the encounter, while Bhajan Lal Bishnoi of Jodhpur was arrested. The hunt for the third smuggler was on, they said.

Acting on a tip-off that a huge consignment of poppy husk was being hauled in the area, a checkpoint was set up in Bhimana under the foothills of Arawali early morning, SP (Pali) Rahul Prakash said.

An approaching car was signalled to stop but the driver sped past while another car following it opened fire at the police personnel, said Prakash.

Five rounds were fired at the police but no body was hurt, he added.

However, as the tyres of the vehicles, in which the smugglers were escaping, got punctured in retaliatory fire, they were forced to run towards the hills on foot in a bid to escape, the SP said.

We launched a search operation with the help of the villagers and laid a siege after spotting them in the afternoon," said Prakash.

Just as the police was approaching their hideout, they opened fire at the police again, Prakash said.

However, they soon realised that they were outnumbered leading to Khartaram ending his life by shooting himself in the head, Prakash said.

Khartaram was wanted in a murder case and had been absconding. He was also engaged in smuggling of opium and poppy husk and had been to jail twice, he added.

Meanwhile, the two vehicles belonging to the smugglers along with a huge consignment of poppy husk was seized.