Kanpur encounter: How criminals trapped police team, killed 8 cops in firing from rooftops

KANPUR: Eight police personnel, including a circle officer and three sub inspectors, died while six of their colleagues were injured in an encounter with criminals at Chaubeypur in Kanpur in the early hours of Friday.
The incident took place in Bikru village when a police team headed by CO Billhaur Devendra Mishra went there to search for gangster Vikas Dubey, wanted in a case of attempt to murder, the police said.
Dubey has over 60 cases registered against him, including a murder charge for the killing of Santosh Shukla, a former state (Uttar Pradesh) minister in the Rajnath Singh government, inside Shivli police station in 2001.
The bodies of the eight cops, including deputy superintendent of police Devendra Mishra, sub-inspectors Mahesh Yadav, who was the station officer of Shivrajpur, Anup Kumar, Babulal and constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra and Bablu, have been shifted to mortuary while six policemen - Bithoor police station in-charge Kaushlendra Pratap Singh, SIs Sudhakar Pandey and Vikas Babu and constables -Ajay Singh Sengar, Ajay Kashyap, Shivmurat Nishad and homeguard -Jai Ram Patel - who sustained bullet injuries are undergoing treatment at Regency hospital of the City.
As the police teams from three separate police stations - Bithoor, Shivrajpur and Chaubeypur - reached the Bikru village of Chaubeypur to make the arrest of gangster -Vikas Dubey, wanted in a case of attempt to murder, a gang of criminals equipped with sophisticated firearms opened indiscriminate fire from the rooftops following which circle officer Billhaur - Devendra Mishra, Shivrajpur police station incharge Mahesh Yadav and SIs Anup Kumar, Babu Lal and constables Sultan Singh, Rahul, Jitendra and Bablu were killed while six others injured in the attack.
According to police, preliminary reports suggested that the criminals, who were being tipped off about the police raid, had blocked the approach road to the area by placing JCB machines. "It was after the policemen got trapped, the criminals began indiscriminate firing from rooftops," said the police.
Prashant Kumar, the additional director general of police (law and order), along with SSP Dinesh Kumar P and IG Mohit Agarwal, visited the spot and supervised the investigation.
Officials said all borders of the Kanpur division, comprising six districts, have been sealed.
A forensic team from Lucknow have been roped in and the special task force (STF) has been given the charge of the case.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has paid his 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 were responsible for the firing.
"Eight police personnel died and six were injured. They are being treated at Regency hospital. Police from neighbouring districts Kannauj and Kanpur Dehat have also been called," Kanpur ADG JN Singh said, adding that a combing operation was under way.