MOSCOW, June 18 (RIA Novosti) - A single armed gunman in northern India has held off some 500 police for two days, killing four officers and injuring several others, Sahara Samay television reported on Thursday.

Ghanshyam Nishad became separated from members of his gang and took cover on Tuesday in the village of Jamauli in the Chitrakoot region of Uttar Pradesh. The village of some 40 houses was evacuated by authorities and shootouts have continued for more than 48 hours. Police began setting the thatched houses on fire to smoke Ghanshyam out.

Ghanshyam is armed with a self-loading rifle and a .351 rifle, as well as having more than 250 rounds and hand grenades.

Jugal Kishore, who led the operations on Tuesday, said that Ghanshyam's "SLR was burned in one of the fires but has enough rounds to fight for the next 24 hours."

Sahara Samay reported that the gunman was captured on video camera while jumping from one thatched roof to another and was apparently wounded.

In another report by IndianExpress.com, Ghanshyam was shot dead while attempting to escape from police who had surrounded him.

It is not clear how a lone gunman could hold off 500 police officers for so long, although nighttime operations are hampered by the lack of night-vision equipment or means of illuminating the area, as well as a lack of communication systems and backup forces.

"Ghanshyam is so sure of his aim and is so quick in his attack and movement that we have yet not been able to find out his exact location," a special forces sub-inspector was quoted as saying by Indian Express.