The police have registered a case under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC against the IAF policeman, identified as Corporal Vimal Kumar Pandey.

Around 2 a.m. today, the local police received a call from the IAF police about an attempted burglary in an IAF officer's house in Subroto Park. Two persons had reportedly broken into the house of the officer, who was away, and fled after his wife raised an alarm. Though the IAF and the local police combed the area in the night, they failed to trace the burglars. Around 5 a.m., the attendant of a pump-house in Subroto Park went to the guard room and said two unidentified persons were sleeping there. ``The attendant claimed he had been held captive by the duo from around 2.30 a.m. in his room,'' a senior police officer said.

When two corporals, including Pandey, went to the pump-house, they saw two persons -- later identified as Khalid and Vicky -- sleeping inside and arrested them for trespassing, burglary. One of the policemen returned to the guard room to get a bigger vehicle.

Investigations have revealed that the latter entered into a scuffle with Pandey and Khalid attempted to snatch his revolver. Pandey first fired in the air and then fired two more rounds. One bullet hit Khalid, who died on the spot.