Eight policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), were killed when they were fired upon by criminals in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur. The incident happened at 1:30 am on Friday.
The incident happened when the police team had gone to raid history-sheeter Vikas Dubey’s house. Reports say the criminals had prior information about the police’s raid and were well prepared.
WATCH: Eight UP cops out to nab dreaded criminal killed in firing in Kanpur
Here is how the gunbattle took place:
• The police team started for Bikru village in Chaubepur police station area to look for Dubey, a known criminal. He was wanted in an attempt to attempt to murder case filed by a man Rahul Tiwari.
• As the team approached the village, it found a heavy earthmover parked on the road which had blocked the way.
• As soon as the policemen got down from their vehicles, the criminals started firing indiscriminately at them from the rooftops of buildings. “There was retaliatory firing but criminals were at a height, so our 8 men died,” said Director General of Police (DGP), HC Awasthi.
• Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Devendra Mishra was among the eight policemen who were killed in the firing. The others were SO Mahesh Yadav, sub-inspectors Anup Kumar and Babulal, and constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra and Babloo.
• Five other policemen were injured in the firing and have been admitted to Regency hospital.
{{/usCountry}}• Five other policemen were injured in the firing and have been admitted to Regency hospital.
{{/usCountry}}• According to the local police, Dubey maintains a private army and recruits mostly youth. He also provides them with weapons.
• Dubey has 52 criminal cases against him. In 2001, he was accused of murdering Santosh Shukla, who had rank of a state minister then, inside the Shivli police station.
• All the borders in Kanpur division comprising six districts have been sealed. Additional director general of police (law and order), Prashant Kumar, is headed to Kanpur.
• Chief minister Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to the eight police personnel who died on duty and asked the Director General of Police (DGP) to take toughest of action against those who are responsible for the incident.