Gangster Dubey's aide killed in police encounter, 6 arrested

Amar Dubey is the third member of the Vikas Dubey gang to be killed in an encounter with police after the ambush in Bikru village near Kanpur early Friday morning. So far, Dubey’s 10 alleged accomplices have been arrested, including the six in the two separate encounters on Tuesday night.

Police killed an aide of gangster Vikas Dubey and arrested six others in separate encounters as they tried to track down those involved in last week's ambush near Kanpur, in which eight policemen were gunned down, officials said Wednesday. The Uttar Pradesh police were also tipped off about Dubey's possible presence in Faridabad near Delhi.

CCTV footage showed a man who could be the gangster at a hotel there. The man did not check in when the a staff member insisted on an ID card with a clear photo. The state's Special TaskForce (STF) detained Dubey's brother-in-law in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district on Wednesday. On Monday, the relative's son was detained.

Two policemen, an inspector and a constable, were also injured Wednesday morning in a firefight in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur district, in which the gangster's alleged accomplice died. "Amar Dubey, who carried a reward of Rs 50,000, was killed in an encounter in Maudaha village of Hamirpur district," Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar told reporters in Lucknow.

An unlicensed semi-automatic .32 bore pistol was seized. "Acting on a tip-off, a team of the STF and local police surrounded Amar. He was injured in the firing and he died during treatment at a hospital," Hamirpur Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar said.

Police sources said Amar travelled with Dubey wherever he went, ensuring his security. Amar Dubey is the third member of the Vikas Dubey gang to be killed in an encounter with police after the ambush in Bikru village near Kanpur early Friday morning.

So far, Dubey's 10 alleged accomplices have been arrested, including the six in the two separate encounters on Tuesday night. Three of them were nabbed after an exchange of fire in Kanpur's Chaubeypur area, under which Dubey's Bikru village falls.

Shyamji Bajpai, also known as Shyamu, was shot in the leg, ADG Prashant Kumar said. Sanjiv Dubey and Jahan Yadav were nabbed with him. Shyamu carried a reward of Rs 50,000 for his arrest. In Haryana's Faridabad, the local crime branch arrested three men – Ankur, his father Shravan and Kartikey alias Prabhat.

Police were tipped off that Vikas Dubey was hiding in a house in Faridabad's Kheri Pul area. They said they were fired at when they reached there around midnight. Four weapons, including two 9 mm pistols belonging to police, and 44 live cartridges were seized in Faridabad, Kumar said.

The Uttar Pradesh government has increased the reward on Vikas Dubey from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. The FIR lodged by police after the Bikru ambush named 21 people and mentioned 50-60 others.

"The STF is tracking all those named in the FIR and wherever we get information, we are taking the help of the local police," STF Inspector General Amitabh Yash said. "We are also trying to trace the weapons taken away from the policemen, " he added. An AK-47 and an INSAS rifle, snatched during the ambush, are yet to be recovered.

Asked about the "delay" in arresting Dubey, the IG said he is hardened criminal and used to remaining in hiding. "But we will surely nab him. We have started getting success." Police suspect that Vikas Dubey was tipped off about the raid to arrest him, giving him time to set up the ambush near his home late Thursday night. Police shunted all 68 personnel at Chaubeypur police station to the reserve police lines on Tuesday, saying there were doubts over their professional integrity. Four policemen, including Chaubeypur station officer Vinay Tiwari, are already under suspension.

Police are also probing into a letter purportedly written in March by Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Mishra, complaining about Tiwari's alleged links with Dubey. Mishra was among the eight policemen killed in the ambush.

The then Kanpur SSP Anand Deo, to whom the letter that surfaced on social media was purportedly sent, has been transferred out from the STF where he was a deputy inspector general..