A late-night encounter between police and an armed gang in Bihar’s East Champaran district has resulted in the killing of a policeman and two suspects, officials said on Tuesday. Two people were arrested following the encounter.
The exchange of fire took place under the jurisdiction of Chakia police station, following a raid based on intelligence inputs linked to a threat to kill police personnel — an audio clip of which had gone viral on social media — police said.
According to police sources, gangster Kundan Thakur had allegedly made a threatening phone call to Chakia’s Additional Station House Officer, saying, “Agla news yeh hoga ki apradhi aur police ke beech muqable mein 10-15 policekarmi mare jayenge (The next news will be that 10-15 policemen will be killed in an encounter between criminals and police).”
According to the office of the Motihari Superintendent of Police (SP), Swarn Prabhat, a case was registered on Monday based on the viral threat. “Acting on specific information that an accused, Kundan Thakur, was hiding along with his associates at a friend’s residence, a joint team moved in to verify the input and conduct a raid,” police said.
During the operation, Kundan Thakur, a resident of Bulla Chowk under Chakia police station limits, and members of his gang allegedly opened “indiscriminate fire” on the police team. One policeman sustained serious injuries in the firing and later succumbed during treatment. He was identified as 31-year-old Constable Shri Ram Yadav.
“In the ensuing exchange, Kundan Thakur and another alleged gang member, Priyanshu Kumar alias Priyanshu Dubey of Basantpur in Muzaffarpur district, were shot. Both later died during treatment,” police said, adding that two others — Ujjwal Kumar and Sant Kumar Tiwari, both residents of Sihorwa village in Chakia — were arrested from the spot. Officials said the two arrested individuals, a father-son duo, have prior criminal cases, including under the Arms Act.
Champaran Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Har Kishore Rai said the operation was carried out jointly by Motihari police and the STF, following inputs about armed criminals hiding in a house. “During the raid, the criminals opened fire, in which one jawan was hit. Police retaliated, and two of the criminals who were firing were also injured. The injured jawan was taken to a hospital, but died. The two injured criminals also died,” he said, adding that both the deceased suspects had prior criminal records and had been under police watch.
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Rai termed the death of the constable “a tragic incident” and said efforts would be made to ensure that compensation and other benefits due under government provisions are provided to his family at the earliest. He added that no other personnel suffered serious injuries.
The threat call
Police sources said the operation followed closely on the heels of the threat call allegedly made by Kundan Thakur to Chakia’s additional station house officer. The phone conversation later surfaced in a viral audio clip.
In the call, Thakur is heard issuing a direct challenge to the police. He is purportedly heard saying, “Gundai kya hoti hai, aapko aur poore shehar ko dikha denge (We will show you and the entire city what real hooliganism looks like).”
At one point, he allegedly says, “Muqabla hoga to main bhagne wala nahin hoon. Ladne wala aadmi hoon (If there is an encounter, I will not run. I am someone who will fight)”, adding, “Dono haath se goli chala sakte hain (I can fire with both hands).”
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In another challenge, he allegedly said, “Agar himmat hai to mujhe zinda pakad ke dikha dijiye (If you have the courage, catch me alive).” He also allegedly warned police against taking any action against his family members.
Investigators used surveillance and local intelligence to trace the location of the caller, leading to the raid in Ramdiha village. According to officials, the police team surrounded the house where the suspects were hiding. On sensing the presence of police, the accused allegedly attempted to escape and opened fire using sophisticated weapons, including a carbine and pistols. Police responded, and several rounds were fired from both sides during the brief but intense encounter, officers said.
A search of the site led to the recovery of a cache of weapons, including one carbine, two pistols, two country-made firearms, five live cartridges and 17 spent shells.
Police records show that Kundan Thakur, believed to be around 20 years old, had a history of involvement in Arms Act cases, with at least five cases registered against him between 2019 and 2025 across Chakia, Nagar, and Rajepur police stations.
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Officials said he had been under surveillance and that efforts to apprehend him were ongoing prior to the incident.
Senior officers, including the DIG and the Motihari SP, visited the encounter site following the incident. Additional forces have been deployed in the area, and further investigation is underway.
