Criminals opened fire at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday at a tribal woman who had lodged a case of sexual exploitation against Jharkhand IG P.S. Natarajan in 2005. The attack took place at Sahajanand Chowk in Harmu, a congested busy area of Ranchi.

The woman was hit by three bullets and is currently critical and undergoing treatment at Medica Hospital in the city. A hearing was scheduled at the High Court in a case registered in behalf of the woman on Tuesday. The incident took place just before the hearing.

In this case listed for hearing in the court of Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi, she was about to present her side in the court herself, but before the hearing, the criminals shot and injured her.

The woman and her daughter were already given three bodyguards by the police. The woman was going on a bike with one of her bodyguards when three criminals riding on another bike overtook them and fired at her. As soon as the information about the incident was received, the cops from Argora police station of Ranchi reached the spot.

The criminals are in the process of being identified on the basis of CCTV footage installed at the crossroads and nearby shops.

One bullet passed out of her body while the other bullets got stuck. The bodyguard had a narrow escape. One of the three criminals captured in the CCTV footage has been identified by the woman. According to sources, some people were threatening her continuously for two weeks.

Apart from IPS officer Natarajan, she has registered separate cases of rape, sexual exploitation and attempt to rape on several other people.

In 2005, a sting video of sexual exploitation of this woman was aired on many TV channels. In this case, Natarajan was dismissed in 2012. However, a lower court ruled in favour of Natarajan in 2017. After this decision, the woman approached the High Court. (SJ/IANS)