UP encounter: Rs 50,000 reward-carrying criminal killed in Shamli, accomplice escapes

A Rs 50000 rewardcarrying accused was killed in a police encounter in Uttar Pradeshs Shamli district early on Friday while his accomplice escaped under cover of darknessA police subinspector was also injured by a gunshot during the exchange of fire officials saidAccording to the Uttar Pradesh Police the encounter took place near a tubewell close to the Khandrawali Culvert under the jurisdiction of Kandhla Police Station during a joint operation carried out by teams from Adarsh Mandi and Kandhla police stationsThe deceased accused has been identified as Mehtab son of Manjura alias Baichen a resident of Mohalla Alakala in Kairana town of Shamli districtPolice said he was a historysheeter with a reward of Rs 50000 on his arrest and was wanted in several criminal casesThe police action stemmed from a robbery and attempted murder reported at around 3 am on FridayAccording to officials Narendra son of Baru and a resident of Village Hathi Karauda under Babri Police Station was travelling on a motorcycle along with his brother Nareshpal to irrigate their fields in Jalalpur village which falls under the Adarsh Mandi Police Station limitsWhen they reached the Jalalpur Cut on the Muzaffarnagar Highway two unidentified motorcycleborne assailants allegedly intercepted them Brandishing a countrymade pistol the accused allegedly robbed the brothers of their motorcycle keys an Oppo mobile phone and Rs 180 in cash When the victims resisted the accused allegedly opened fire at them with the intention to kill before fleeing the spotFollowing the incident an FIR No 1502026 was registered at Adarsh Mandi Police Station under Sections 3096 and 1091 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS against two unidentified accusedDuring intensified checking operations across the district police received information about the suspects movement Acting on the tipoff teams from Adarsh Mandi and Kandhla police stations launched a joint operation near the tubewell by Khandrawali CulvertAccording to police the accused opened fire on the police party prompting retaliatory firing in selfdefence During the exchange of fire Mehtab sustained bullet injuries while SubInspector Deepchand of Adarsh Mandi Police Station was also hit by a bulletThe injured accused and the police officer were taken to the District Combined Hospital in Shamli Doctors declared Mehtab dead during treatment while SubInspector Deepchand is currently undergoing treatmentPolice said Mahtabs associate managed to flee the scene by taking advantage of the darkness and the standing crops in the area A search operation has been launched to trace and arrest the absconding accusedDuring the operation police recovered the allegedly looted mobile phone Rs 180 in cash the bike key taken from the victims and the motorcycle without a registration number that was allegedly used in the crimePolice also seized a 9mm pistol with six live cartridges a carbine with seven live cartridges and eight spent 9mm cartridge casingsAccording to police records Mehtab had 33 criminal cases registered against him in Shamli and Saharanpur districts involving charges of robbery dacoity murder and extortionHe was listed as a historysheeter at Kairana Police Station under History Sheet No 349APolice said Mehtab was also wanted in connection with a robbery that took place on March 1 in which an assistant manager of Thanabhawan Sugar Mill and a Haryana Police woman constable were allegedly robbed in Lisadh village under Kotwali Shamli Police StationA reward of Rs 50000 had been announced for his arrest by the Deputy Inspector General DIG of the Saharanpur RangeLegal proceedings in connection with the encounter are underway