Shootout in Belagavi: Gunshots fired at murder accused who tried to attack cops

Belagavi: Gunshots were fired on a murder accused as he tried to attack cops during arrest, police said.

The incident took place near Dharmanatha Bhavan in the early morning on Tuesday. The accused, Vishalsingh Vijaysingh Chauhan (25) was injured in the leg in the firing and has been admitted tothe district hospital for treatment, police said.

DCP (Law and Order) Ravindra Gadadi-led team was involved in the shooting. Police said Vishalsingh tried to assault a police constable with a knife.

A country pistol and several other weapons were found on his person, police added.

Police were on the lookout for Vishalsinghfor his involvement in the murder of real estate businessman Raju Doddabommanavar (40) that took placeon March 15. It is alleged that Raju’s second wife Kiran had given a contract to Vishalsingh to kill her husband.

Vishalsingh has several cases pending against him at police stations in Belagavi and neighbouring state of Maharashtra, police said.

This is the first police shootout in the past 15 years. The last shootout in Belagavi happened in September 2007 when Praveen Shintre, a murder accused, was gunned down at the Rajdeep Bunglow in Laxminagar.