8 police personnel including Deputy Superintendent and 3 sub Inspectors were gunned down in a fierce encounter with criminals in Kanpur, officials said on Friday.
The ambush took place when the police team was approaching to arrest Vikash Dubey, a history-sheeter with more than 60 criminal charges, in Dikru village under Chubepur Police Station on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, police said.
Things known so far:
8 policemen lost their lives in a gun battle with criminals when they had gone in search of Vikash Dubey after a local resident filed a case of attempt to murder against him.
The road leading to the criminal Vikash Dubey was blocked by JCB earth moving machines. When the police officers stepped out of their vehicles to find a way about the blockade, ‘criminals open fired upon them from three sides’, said Dinesh Kumar, Kanpur’s Police Chief. There was a retaliatory firing from the police team, but the criminals were on rooftops, which caused the death of police personnel.
The deceased cops of Kanpur have been identified as CO Devendra Kumar Mishra, SO Mahesh Yadav, Chowki Incharge Anup Kumar, Sub-Inspector Nebulal, Constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra, and Bablu.
Officials said police have recovered empty shells of AK 47 carbines from the rooftops.
Investigators are now tracking mobile phone signals in the nearby areas to find the hideout of criminals. Border areas of Kanpur are now sealed. CCTV footage from the border checkpoints are under surveillance and security is heightened.
Locals in the area are being questioned, fingers prints are being analysed to track the criminals. A Special Task Force (STF) has been deployed to look into the matter. ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar visited the spot of the encounter in Dikru village early morning, hours after the encounter late night.
DGP HC Awasthi said, “The Kanpur STF is already at work. A large-scale operation is being carried out. This is in continuation with the operation for which the team had gone there in the first place.”
The DGP further said that around seven other police personnel have been injured in the encounter. He said, “Operation is still underway as criminals managed to escape, taking advantage of the dark. IG, ADG, ADG (Law & Order) have been sent there to supervise the operation. A forensic team from Kanpur was at the spot, an expert team from Lucknow also being sent.”
CM Yogi Adityanath has expressed condolences to the families of the eight police personnel who lost their lives in the Kanpur encounter. CM Yogi has directed DGP HC Awasthi to take stringent action against criminals and has also sought a report of the incident.
Background of the Criminal
The gangster Vikash Dubey has 60 criminal charges, including murder, kidnapping, extortion, and rioting. Dubey became infamous after he allegedly killed a Political leader Santosh Shukla in Shivli police station in 2001 when the BJP government under Rajnath Singh was in power in the state. He is also accused of hatching murder conspiracies from jail. Vikas Dubey is believed to have connections with all major political parties. Dubey won the Nagar Panchayat election from Shivrajpur while he was in jail.
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