A police team faced gunshots on Monday night when a person they had taken into custody fired at them.

Both Pradhannagar SI Rabindranath Sarkar and attacker Raj Pandey were injured.

Siliguri Metropolitan Police commissioner Akhilesh Chaturvedi said on Tuesday that a police complaint was filed against Pandey recently for allegedly taking Rs 7 lakh from a person while promising him an excise licence.

Police on Monday learnt that Pandey was staying in Siliguri’s Dagapur.

When the team reached there, Pandey claimed that he was a deputy collector posted in Bihar.

The police took Pandey to the detective department for interrogation.

“During interrogation, he admitted he had a fake identity card but simultaneously also said that he owned a licensed firearm. Our team then took him to his house again to recover the firearm, the card and other items. However, then he suddenly took the firearm and started threatening our men,” the commissioner said.

As the policemen tried to disarm him, he fired three rounds. One of the bullets grazed the leg of Pradhannagar sub-inspector Sarkar and another struck Pandey in his left thigh. The third didn’t hit any person, police officials said.

Sarkar was rushed to a private clinic in Matigara and Pandey to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. Both are reportedly stable on Tuesday.

During investigation, the police have also come to know that Pandey, who seems to be from Bihar’s Bhagalpur, had been staying in Siliguri for the past year.

“Last month, we received another complaint against him that he created a nuisance and indulged in illegal activities at a hotel in Champasari area. Our officers are trying to gather more information on him, especially whether he was involved in any other criminal activity,” said a source.

The police seized the firearm and vehicle. Pandey’sdriver and an associate have been detained.