Lucknow, Oct 16 (IANS): In another sign of failing law and order in the state, unidentified assailants shot dead a police sub-inspector and stole his service pistol in Tikiri village in Aligarh district late Monday night, police said.

Officials said the home guard accompanying the sub-inspector was also beaten by the assailants and they robbed him of his service rifle.

The deceased has been identified as the Barla police station in-charge station officer (SO), Om Veer Singh.

At the time of the incident the inspector was on a night patrol with a home guard on a motor bike. While doing the rounds of the locality they spotted a group of suspicious looking men and stopped to check on them, police said.

The three assailants attacked the SI and the home guard.

The SI was shot twice and the home guard was beaten until he fled the scene leaving behind his service .303 rifle.

Senior police officials rushed to the site when the home guard Nem Singh reported the matter to the police control room. The assailants had however had fled.

The profusely bleeding inspector was rushed to a nearby medical facility where he was declared dead, Deputy Inspector General (Aligarh), Prakash D., told IANS.

Combing operations have begun and the police expect to nab the culprits soon, Prakash said.