Man who fired from AK-47 in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh court arrested

Tiwari allegedly made around 20 extortion calls from the city during his stay, but managed to dodge the police.

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A senior police officer of the Special Cell said the 28-year-old accused was arrested from Chelmsford Road on Sunday morning.

“On June 2, Tiwari, riding pillion on a motorcycle, had opened fire from an AK-47 assault rifle inside a court complex in Hazaribagh, killing three members of a rival gang. Sushil Srivastava, the head of the gang, and two of his associates were killed in the incident. A police constable and a civilian were injured in the shooting during broad daylight,” the officer said.

The police said the shooting is believed to have been triggered by a two-decade-old gang war for dominance over a lucrative extortion racket in Jharkhand. According to the police, Srivastava’s gang and the Bhola Pandey gang fought bitterly for a bigger share of the extortion racket, in which they allegedly took “protection” money from coal traders in Ranchi, Ramgarh and Hazaribagh.

“In shootouts between the two gangs, Srivastava’s men had killed Pandey’s several associates before eliminating the rival leader in a shootout on the national highway connecting Ranchi and Hazaribagh. At a time when it seemed Pandey’s gang had been wiped out, Tiwari had shot dead Srivastava,” the officer said.

Tiwari, a resident of Ramgarh, used to work as a building contractor earlier.