Gonda, Aug 30 (IANS); A man surrendered before the police here with a placard hung around his neck that read "I have come to surrender, don't shoot me."

According to officials, the man, identified as Ankit Verma, has been on the run for the past six months.

Circle Officer (CO) Navina Shukla said, “The incident is a result of fear of the police among the criminals.”

On Tuesday, Verma reached the Chhapia police station with a placard hung around his neck and shouted, “I have come to surrender, don't shoot me.”

The placard carried the same message in his handwriting, the police officer said.

A person named Amarjit Chauhan from Mahuli Khori village had filed a complaint with the police alleging that when he was returning from college on February 20 on a motorcycle, two men stopped him near the Piprahi bridge and looted his two-wheeler, mobile phone and wallet at gunpoint, the officer said.

Subsequently, a case of robbery was lodged and during investigation, the names of Ankit Verma and another person came up, Shukla said, adding that Superintendent of Police Ankit Mittal also announced a reward of Rs 20,000 on their arrest.

SHO Suresh Kumar Verma said Verma has been placed under arrest after completing the legal formalities.