The Bihar police on Tuesday allegedly killed an army personnel in a fake encounter in Paliganj in Patna district.

The police said Amitesh alias Madhukar Sharma and two others were trying to flee after stealing a motorcycle. They opened fire when they were asked to stop, which led to the encounter, the police said, adding Amitesh was critically wounded.

He was taken to the Patna Medical College Hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Authorities at the Paliganj police station told the Press Trust of India that Amitesh had deserted the army.

Amitesh's father Awadhesh Sharma, a primary school teacher, said he and his son had gone to the Paliganj branch of the State Bank of India to withdraw some money. He said he had left his son near the bank and gone to see the progress of construction of his house.

Sharma told the PTI at PMCH, where the body of his son was kept for post-mortem, that after some time he came to know that his son, while returning from the bank, had been hospitalised after being injured in an encounter.

Describing the incident as a cold-blooded murder, Sharma said Amitesh had gone to withdraw money because he had to report for duty at Sriganganagar border.

The police had also snatched the I-card of his son, he said.

The situation in Paliganj was stated to be tense but under control.

Recently the state police had come under fire for the killing of three youths in an alleged encounter.