Kashi, Azamgarh cops eliminate two wanted criminals

VARANASI: Two dreaded criminals were eliminated in separate police encounters in Varanasi and Azamgarh districts on late Thursday night.
Both these criminals were trying to revive the extortion trade in east UP region, said police. The criminal killed in Varanasi was identified as Roshan Gupta alias Kittu. He had come under the police radar after a video clip showing him threatening a jeweller on gunpoint for extortion of Rs 50 lakh went viral on social media three days ago.Besides, Suryansh Dubey, who was eliminated by Azamgarh police, had demanded Rs five lakh from a trader.
Varanasi SSP Amit Pathak said that a team of police led by SP (city) Vikas Chandra Tripathi, on a tip-off, had cordoned off Saraiyya area under Jaitpura police station on late Thursday night. When Kittu passed through the area, the police tried to stop him, but he opened indiscriminate fire injuring a sub-inspector and a constable. In retaliatory firing he suffered bullet injuries and was rushed to SPG divisional hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Over 36 criminal cases were lodged against Kittu, said Tripathi. He added that Kittu had masterminded Chowkaghat double murder case. Besides, his video of threatening a jeweller for extortion had gone viral on social media recently. A diary recovered from his bag contained a list of traders who were on his target for extortion. Pathak said that a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh was announced on Kittu, while the state government also announced to give a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh to the police team who eliminated Kittu.
Meanwhile in Azamgarh, a team of crime branch intercepted Suryansh Dubey near Sherva village under Saramir police station when he opened indiscriminate fire on them in an attempt to escape, informed Azamgarh SP Sudhir Kumar Singh. Two policemen suffered bullet injuries. In retaliatory firing, Dubey also suffered bullet injuries and all the three injured were rushed to the district hospital where doctors declared Dubey as brought dead.
The SP said that Dubey had come to the limelight after he killed a Dalit village head Satyamev Jayate. This had sparked large scale protests in Tarva area of Azamgarh a few months ago, following which a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh was announced on him. Singh said that Dubey was traced after he attempted to extort Rs 5 lakh from a trader through a text message. Several teams were engaged to nab him. Over a dozen criminal cases were lodged against Dubey at the police stations of Azamgarh, Mau and Jaunpur.