Five Sikligars accused of attacking STF men arrested in Dhamnod

INDORE: Dhar police on Sunday arrested five members of Sikligar community accused of attacking and injuring special task force (STF) personnel during a raid in Dhar district on May 7.
The five accused, all residents of Lalbagh village under Dhamnod police station limits, were nabbed from dense forests near the village following a late night operation on Saturday, police said.
Three officials were injured after illegal country made firearms manufacturers commonly called as Sikligars had attacked the team of Special Task Force (STF) in a village near Dhamnod in Dhar district on May 7.
The STF team had gone to nab the Sikligars in Lalbaag village, about five kilometers from Dhamnod town on the directions of the senior police officials when the incident took place.
Later, Dhamnod police registered a case on the charges of attempt to murder, rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions, among others, under the Indian Penal Code, besides the Arms Act.
Dhar superintendent of police Rajesh Hingankar said that during the course of investigation, police conducted raids in Lalbagh, Singhana and other areas situated on the district border.
“As the accused were well acquainted with the geography of this area, they managed to slip every time. On Saturday night, police got a tip-off that they were hiding in the dense forest area near Lalbagh. Police immediately cordoned off the area and caught all the five accused,” Hingankar said.
“Police are now interrogating them and hopefully we will get more information related to their hideouts and illegal arms manufacturing units in the area,” he added.
Sikligars, whose population is mainly concentrated in Khandwa, Khargone, Dhar and Barwani districts, are known to have perfected the art of manufacturing guns for livelihood over the generations.