Sub-inspector disguises as banana seller to hunt perpetrators of violence in Agra

With some perpetrators of the violence that took place during last week's anti-citizenship law protests in neighbouring Firozabad taking refuge in Agra, police went undercover and one of its personnel disguised as a banana seller to hunt them down.

Police received intelligence inputs about the presence of some mischief-makers involved in the Firozabad violence in Agra city, SHO of Mantola police station, Jeetendra Kumar, told PTI on Wednesday.

Anti-citizenship law protesters clashed with the police after Friday prayers in UP's Firozabad, a city that had previously not been hit by the agitation. Protesters set on fire at least six vehicles, including those of policemen, forcing the police to use tear-gas shells to disperse them. Several policemen were injured in the clash.

Soon after the clash, a number of those involved in the violence fled the city and had sought refuge in Agra.

It would have been difficult to gather information about these "mischief-makers" directly from civilians and hence, it was decided to go undercover and track them down, Kumar said.

Setting the plan in motion, Sub-Inspector Sunil Tomar of Mantola police station took the disguise of a vendor selling bananas and set out in Agra city on Tuesday, the SHO said.

The plan was to move around and try and locate the perpetrators, he said.

The SHO added that the plan worked and the trouble-makers were arrested. He, however, refused to divulge any details of those arrested.