A gangster from Punjab was gunned down at the Outer Ring Road in west Mysuru on Thursday morning.
Vijayanagar inspector BG Kumar opened fire at Sukhwinder Singh, from Faridkot. He was injured in the chest and was declared brought dead when he was rushed to KR Hospital nearby.
Inspector Kumar later stated that he acted in self-defence and that Sukhwinder had held a constable tightly and threatened to shoot him. Two persons who were accompanying Sukhwinder fled in a hired car that had a Mysuru RTO registration. The car was later seized by the police. However, they are yet to apprehend the two persons who were in it.
The Times of India reported Mysuru Commissioner KT Balakrishna saying that the gang was in the city to exchange demonetised notes.
The incident occurred between 9:15 am and 9:45 am on Thursday morning after police officials led by Kumar reached the spot near RV Residency Apartment on Outer Ring Road based on a tip-off they received.
According to a report by Deccan Chronicle, constable Veerabhadraswamy caught one of the persons - Sukhwinder. However, Sukhwinder held the constable tightly, refused to let him go and tried to fire at him with a revolver. The inspector fired at Sukhwinder in an attempt to save the constable.
Mysuru police took five hours to confirm Sukhwinder's identity and are further investigating the case to find out why a gang from Punjab was in Mysuru to exchange demonetised notes.