At least eight Uttar Pradesh police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed in an encounter with criminals in Kanpur on July 3.
The encounter took place when the police team was approaching to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history sheeter facing 60 criminal cases, in Dikru village under Chaubeypur police station on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
As the police team was about to reach the hideout of the dreaded criminal, a hail of bullets was showered on them from a building rooftop, leaving Deputy SP Devendra Mishra, three sub-inspectors and four constables dead. The attackers fled, snatching weapons from the dead and the wounded policemen.
Giving details of the incident, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police H C Awasthi said the notorious criminal might have got an inkling of the impending raid. He and his henchmen put up massive roadblocks to prevent the police personnel from proceeding towards their hideout. As the police team was caught unawares, the criminals fried at them from a building rooftop leading to the deaths, Awasthi said.
On getting information about the incident, additional DG (Law and Order), IG (Kanpur) and the senior SP of Kanpur rushed to the spot, where a forensic team has started investigations. Two criminals, purportedly belonging to the Vikas Dubey gang that shot dead eight police personnel early on Friday, were also killed by the police, hours after the bloodbath. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Hitesh Chandra Awasthi on Friday said that the Kanpur encounter incident, in which eight police personnel were killed, was a well-planned conspiracy.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to the slain policemen and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to their family members. UP CM Yogi Adityanath visited Kanpur on Friday afternoon and met the kin of eight police officials killed by gangster Vikas Dubey and his men, and also announced Rs 1 crore compensation to each of the bereaved families. He also announced a government job to one member each of the bereaved families apart from pensions.
On Saturday, the police have arrested Daya Shankar Agnihotri, an accomplice of history-sheeter Vikas Dubey in Kalyanpur. Agnihotri was arrested in the wee hours of Sunday following an encounter last night, said Kanpur Police. The police shot in Agnihotri's leg. IG Zone Mohit Aggarwal had declared a reward of Rs 25,000 to find him. Police have recovered a gun and cartridges from Agnihotri's possession.
The Intelligence Bureau, the country's elite intelligence agency, has been roped in to trace wanted criminal Vikas Dubey for killing eight policemen in Kanpur. The Intelligence Bureau sleuths are now helping the Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF) to trace the whereabouts of one of the gangsters Dubey, who has around 60 cases in his name and also has political patronage.
During probe, it was found that Dubey had close links with various state lawmakers and the law enforcement agency -- UP Police. Earlier on Saturday, the UP government demolish the well-fortified house of the gangster in Kanpur. He shot dead eight police personnel in Bikru village under Chaubeypur police circle in Kanpur.
Dubey's father and his family members, along with their servants, were asked to vacate the premises and were cordoned off from an area of 50-metre around the house before launching the demolition drive. Even the structures used to park their vehicles within the compound were demolished.
The house, which not only has 30-to-40-feet-high thick walls on the perimeter, was secured by concertina wire and 50 CCTV cameras. Dubey had illegally occupied land worth crores of rupees in Kanpur and other places. He also owned a number of luxury vehicles, apart from owning expensive furniture and electronic gadgets.
According to reports, Dubey has enjoyed political patronage over the years under various parties, and has 60 cases lodged against him since 1993 for murder, robbery, kidnapping and land grabbing.
In 2001, he was accused of killing a BJP leader and Minister of State, Santosh Shukla, inside the Shivli police station. Dubey was not arrested due to lack of evidence, which a political watcher in the state owes to the sway of terror and influence he wielded.
