Notorious north Bihar gangster shot dead on Bettiah court premises
Police said Babloo Dubey was being escorted to jail after being produced in the court at Bettiah in Bihar’s West Champaran district when two persons, apparently members of a rival gang, fired at him from sophisticated weapons.
PATNA/ BETTIAH: Notorious gangster Mithilesh Dubey alias Babloo Dubey was gunned down on the court premises at Bettiah, 182 km north of Patna, in Bihar’s West Champaran district on Thursday.
Dubey, the alleged mastermind in kidnapping of Nepal industrialist Suresh Kedia last year and accused in 70 other criminal cases in East and West Champaran districts, was brought to the court from Bettiah jail for a hearing in connection with the murder of Jawahar Sah, mukhiya of Majhaulia village.
Police said Dubey was being escorted to jail after being produced in the court of first class judicial magistrate Kumud Ranjan when three persons, apparently members of a rival gang, fired at him from sophisticated weapons. The assailants escaped using the huge crowd on the court premises as a shield, the police said.
Dubey, who sustained five bullet injuries, was taken to Maharani Janki Kunwar Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, the police added.
Lawyer Satyendra Sharma told HT over phone that incident took place in a crowded area and Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) jawans, accompanying Dubey, it seemed, did not fire as it would have put the life of people present there at risk.
Additional director general (police headquarters) Sanjiv Kumar Singhal said he had directed West Champaran superintendent of police (SP) Vinay Kumar to investigate the case and submit a details report.
Police said Dubey was considered a terror in East and West Champaran districts of Bihar as well as Parsa and Bara districts in neighbouring Nepal. He was arrested in June 2013 while trying to enter India after serving 10 years in Nepal jail for his involvement in murders and bank robberies, the police added.
East Champaran SP Jitendra Rana said Dubey, a resident of Siswan-Kharar village in Kalyanpur police station area of East Champaran, was shifted to Bettiah jail from Motihari on April 11 to face trial in the Jawahar Sah murder case. Rana said Dubey was facing more than 70 cases of murder, extortion and loot and 45 of them has been registered in East Champaran alone.
Police said the West Champaran police had earlier recommended holding of trials in cases involving hardcore criminals through video conferencing. The matter was under consideration by the government, they said.
The incident has once again raised questions over security on court premises and lawyers at Bettiah have announced a phase-wise agitation for better safety arrangements.
Earlier on January 23, 2015, a woman and a police constable were killed and 15 injured in a crude bomb explosion on Ara civil court premises in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, 55 km west of Patna.
On April 18, 2016, six persons, including two women and an undertrial prisoner, were injured in a blast at Chapra civil court, 80 km northwest of Patna.
One person was killed and three were injured in a bomb blast outside the Sasaram civil court premises on July 13, 2016.
