Kanpur: A week after the botched raid at the Kanpur residence of history-sheeter Vikas Dubey led to the killing of eight policemen, the notorious gangster was shot dead Friday when he allegedly tried to escape from the police custody. The case has now snowballed into a political controversy, with opposition leaders alleging a bigger plot behind Dubey’s killing, a day after his arrest in Madhya Pradesh.

The hunt for Vikas Dubey–his arrest and killing

Absconding for almost a week, Dubey was arrested on the premises of the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. According to Ujjain SP Manoj Kumar Singh, Dubey had bought a Rs 250 ticket for VIP darshan at the temple. As he was leaving, the security guards asked him his name, and an argument ensued. He was overpowered by guards on the temple premises. Eventually, Dubey disclosed his identity and was taken to the police station where senior officers took over the matter, SP Singh said. In a video circulated widely, Dubey is heard shouting “Vikas Dubey hoon Kanpur wala (I am Vikas Dubey of Kanpur)”, after which a policeman slaps him and tries to force him into a police vehicle.

Later in the day, a team of the UP Police Special Task Force (STF) reached Ujjain, and was given custody of Dubey. The STF had taken him to Kanpur by road. Early on Friday morning, Dubey was shot dead after he allegedly tried to escape from police custody in Kanpur. At around 7.00 am, the vehicle in which Dubey was being brought to Kanpur overturned after it met with an accident in Sachendi area of Kanpur, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Kanpur, Dr Anil Kumar said. Taking advantage of the accident, Dubey, the police claimed, attempted to flee with a service pistol belonging to one of the officers. In the meantime, another police team escorting the vehicle in which the gangster was travelling in, arrived at the spot. They gheraoed the area and commenced a combing operation to catch Dubey.

On seeing the police team closing in on him, Dubey allegedly opened fire. Two officers were wounded in the incident, the police said. In retaliation, the police fired at Dubey, injuring him. All three injured persons were rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared Dubey dead, said Dr Kumar.

Botched raid in Kanpur

On the night of July 2-3, eight Uttar Pradesh cops, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police and three Sub-Inspectors, were killed during a raid to arrest Dubey in Bikru village, near Kanpur city. According to police, a team of about 20 policemen had gone to the village, in Chaubeypur police station area, to arrest the gangster, a history-sheeter who faced about 60 criminal cases including murder and attempt to murder. Police said the team came under heavy fire, including from rooftops. At least seven other security personnel were injured in the attack. A homeguard is reported to be critical. Later in the day, police said two men, identified as Prem Prakash Pandey and his associate Atul Dubey, were killed during a combing operation. They said a service pistol and a country-made pistol were recovered from their possession. A senior police officer said the attackers had snatched an AK-47, an INSAS rifle and two pistols from the police team.

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