Patna: A history-sheeter, wanted in around a dozen serious criminal cases, including murder, robbery and extortion, escaped after allegedly opening fire on a police team during a raid in Muzaffarpur district on Thursday.The accused, Uttam Rai, fled with his accomplices after the brief exchange of fire in the Jujuar police station area. Police have launched a manhunt and intensified raids at his suspected hideouts.According to police, a special team acted on specific intelligence inputs that Rai was hiding in the area. As officers moved in to conduct the raid, Rai and his associates allegedly opened fire and attempted to escape.Muzaffarpur City SP Mohibullah Ansari said the accused fired two rounds at the police team after spotting the officers. “The police team retaliated in self-defence. However, the criminals managed to flee the spot on motorcycles,” he said.Senior officers rushed to the spot after receiving information about the encounter, and the area was cordoned off for a search operation. Despite extensive searches, the accused could not be traced.Police recovered five live cartridges, two cellphones and a Wi-Fi router allegedly left behind by the fleeing criminals. The seized items are being examined as part of the investigation.According to police records, Rai is a hardened criminal with around a dozen cases registered against him in Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi and Darbhanga districts. The cases include charges of murder, robbery and extortion.The City SP said police teams were conducting raids at multiple locations to arrest Rai and his associates. Further investigation is underway.
