Jaipur, Jul 21 (IANS): A dacoit was shot dead in an encounter in Rajasthan's Sikar after a cross-district chase from Bikaner on early Friday while another dacoit was injured, police said.

The encounter took place near Ramgarh town of Fatehpur area of the district.

Sikar SP Karan Sharma said that the deceased was identified as Suresh Meena, a resident of Savalpura, Ajitgarh, Sikar.

According to police sources, 6 dacoits looted 6 jewellery shops in Momasar village of Dungargarh tehsil of Bikaner district after breaking the shutters. As local people raised an alarm, the dacoits fled. Meanwhile, the people informed the police and chased the dacoits themselves.

Police from Bikaner, Ratangarh (in adjacent Churu district), and Fatehpur (Sikar) started chasing the dacoits.

While Ratangarh police surrounded them on the Bikaner-Jaipur National Highway. In Ratangarh, the dacoits fled into nearby villages. Here, they faced a police force from Ramgarh and an encounter ensued, in which a dacoit was killed and another injured.

Other dacoits abandoned their vehicle and disappeared into the fields taking advantage of the darkness. A search operation is being conducted to find them.