A gangster was shot dead on Wednesday while trying to escape police custody when he and a few other accused in a murder case were taken to a place here to make some recoveries, officials said.

Gangsters Gursharan and Paras, and another person were taken to a place in this district to make some recoveries when the two gangsters picked up guns they had previously hidden in the bushes and fired at the Amritsar Rural police personnel in their attempt to flee, police said.

The police personnel fired in self-defence, killing Gursharan while Paras managed to jump into a river and escape, they said. A hunt is on to nab him, a police official said.

In a statement, Deputy Inspector General of Police Satinder Singh said the gangsters were brought to the spot where they had concealed the weapons according to their disclosure statement to police.

However, the two gangsters suddenly pushed the police officials and ran. They fired upon the police party after getting possession of their weapons that they hid behind the bushes, he said.

The DIG said the accused were held in various criminal cases, including that of murder.

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