Ballia (UP) (PTI): Police on Sunday arrested five men accused in the murder of a roadways employee's son after a brief exchange of fire early Sunday, officials said.

Four of the accused – Nitish Yadav, Ashish Yadav, Dilip Yadav and Rahul Verma – sustained bullet injuries in their legs during the encounter in the Ubhaon area and were admitted to a hospital, Additional Superintendent of Police, Dinesh Kumar Shukla, said.

Police received information around 2.45 am that some criminals had gathered near Chainpur to carry out an offence. When a police team reached the spot, they found two four-wheelers and a motorcycle parked there, the ASP said.

"One of the accused alerted the others about the police. When asked to surrender, they opened fire on the police team with the intention to kill. In retaliatory firing, four accused were injured and arrested,” Shukla said.

A fifth accused, Anand Kumar Verma, managed to flee but was later arrested after a cordon operation.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in the December 13 murder of Ayush Yadav (25), son of a roadways employee, who was shot in the Belthara Road area under the Ubhaon police station limits, the officer said.

Police had already arrested six accused in the case, while another accused, Rabin Singh, surrendered at the Mau city Kotwali on Saturday, taking the total number of arrests to 12.

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Thane (PTI): A wild fox was rescued on Sunday after it fell into an open water tank in Thane's Shil area, an official said.

The rescue operation, which started at noon, was a coordinated effort between the Fire Brigade, wildlife personnel that took one hour, Thane Municipal Corporation disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said.

"The fox fell into a tank located near Muktai residency on Kalyan-Shilphata road. The rescue proved challenging due to the confined space of the tank. However, through the combined efforts of the fire brigade and forest officials, the fox was safely pulled out after nearly an hour of careful manoeuvring," Tadvi said.

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Following the rescue, the animal was checked for injuries and taken by the forest department for further observation before its eventual release, he said.