Man opens fire in Agra, held in Lucknow after 350km chase

Lucknow: In a dramatic chain of events spanning over 350 kilometres, a man who opened fire in Agra was chased down and arrested by Lucknow Police after a high-speed getaway on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway . The shooter, astonishingly, turned out to be a 45-year-old LIC agent, Pankaj Kumar Singh , from Azamgarh.

According to officials, Pankaj fired multiple rounds from his licensed .32 calibre Nirbheek MK-IV revolver in a public area of Agra, causing panic among bystanders. Soon after the firing, he fled in a grey car (DL 4C AW 7152) along with his associate, Yogesh Chauhan (45), a resident of Aaml Kheda, Agra. Acting on an all-points alert under Operation All-Out, police teams in Lucknow began rigorous highway checks.

The car was first intercepted near a toll barrier on the outskirts of Lucknow. Yogesh, seated on the passenger side, was detained immediately. But as police began questioning, Pankaj suddenly switched to the driver's seat, smashed through the toll boom, waved his revolver at the cops, and sped away in a daring escape. Unfazed, the Lucknow Commissionerate's surveillance team tracked his movements in real-time using mobile tracking. Police teams from Manaknagar and Kakori laid a second trap near R.K. Marriage Lawn. This time, the car was successfully intercepted. Pankaj was caught, and his weapon—used in the Agra firing—was seized along with three empty shell casings.

"During interrogation, he confessed to the firing incident in Agra and admitted trying to flee via the Expressway. He had allegedly booked the vehicle via a local vendor and used it for both travel and escape. Agra Police confirmed that a case has been lodged at Tajganj police station and have taken custody of the accused for further proceedings," said joint commissioner (law and order) Babloo Kumar. The accused confessed to have opened multiple fires to impress bystanders.