Police opened fire during the early hours of Tuesday while attempting to arrest suspects involved in controlled substances trafficking. Three people were subsequently arrested with controlled substances, and one of them sustained injuries, police said.

According to District Police spokesperson Deputy Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Chand, those arrested are Bishal Yadav of Rohini Rural Municipality-2, Khurhuria in Rupandehi; 18-year-old Arun Kumar of Parsamalik village in Maharajganj district, India; and 20-year-old Binay Pandey from the same area.

Acting on a tip-off about drug smuggling in Rohini-4, Kotahawa, a joint team from the Narcotics Control Bureau in Bhairahawa and the district police was deployed. Police said the suspects attempted to flee when they were intercepted, prompting officers to open fire to bring the situation under control.

Police stopped a motorcycle bearing the registration number UP 56 F 9901 that was travelling from Kotahawa towards Chipagadh with three riders. During an attempt to check the vehicle, the suspects tried to escape and fell off the motorcycle. While trying to detain them, they reportedly pelted stones at police and injured officers, leading police to fire one round in the air and two rounds towards the suspects, police said.

Yadav sustained a bullet injury to his left calf and was taken to Bhim Hospital in Bhairahawa for treatment. He has since been discharged, Chand said.

Police recovered a large quantity of controlled substances concealed on the motorcycle, including 1,100 ampoules of Phenergan, along with equal quantities of Diazepam and Buprenorphine.