Kanpur firing: UP police release photos, details of 15 absconding accused

Police in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday released the names and photographs of over a dozen people involved in the killing of eight policemen during an operation to nab dreaded criminal Vikas Dubey in Kanpur Dehat district, a senior official said.

The photographs and other details of these 15 men have been circulated throughout the state, according to the official.

This is the latest in the police’s attempt to track down the men who were involved in firing indiscriminately at the team that went on the late-night raid to Bikru village near Kanpur city late on Thursday last week.

Before this, the force had released a photograph of the 48-year-old Vikas Dubey, who escaped with his men after the chilling 15-minute ambush.

Officials put up posters with images of Dubey at toll plazas amidst apprehensions that he has already left the state, and increased the bounty on him to Rs 2.5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh.

Two sub-inspectors and a constable were suspended on Monday over suspicion that they leaked information about the operation targeting Vikas Dubey. Another sub-inspector was suspended earlier over his alleged links with Dubey.

Officials were also probing a purported report by Devendra Mishra, the deputy superintendent killed in the failed raid.

HC Awasthy, Uttar Pradesh’s director general of police, has said the force was conducting raids to track down Dubey, who faces 60 criminal cases.

An alert has been sounded in all the 75 districts of the state and 25 teams from 40 police stations pressed into action.