A man died of bullet injuries following a ‘gunfight’ with police in Rajadevi Municipality-4, Rautahat district on Thursday.

District Police Office Inspector Manoj Yadav said an armed man was killed in gunfight near Gadahiya area. He claimed police fired in retaliation after three motorcycle-borne assailants attacked the police.

Inspector Yadav said two other assailants fled to India on motorcycle after the incident. Police seized a submachine gun and bullets from site of the incident.

The unidentified injured man died on way to hospital.

Yadad said the group fired 12 bullets while police fired 21 bullets in the gunfight.  

Local people gathered at the site and encircled the police’s vehicle for an hour. They claimed the man was not killed in gunbattle.

“There was no exchange of gun fire. Police might have arrested him from elsewhere and shot him dead near a school,” said local resident Uma Shankar Yadav.

Police returned from the site after Mayor Dhirendra Singh arrived and  urged the villagers not to encircle the security personnel.