UP: Pratapgarh criminal injured in encounter dies in Lucknow

PRAYAGRAJ: A wanted criminal, who was injured in an exchange of fire with the police at Babu Tara village under the limits of Lalganj police station of Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh district on Saturday night, succumbed to injuries during treatment at a hospital in Lucknow on Monday.
Two policemen were also injured in the encounter when the criminal had opened fire at the police party and are undergoing treatment.
The criminal, identified as Taufiq, a resident of village Babu Tara, had sustained gunshot injuries in his abdomen during the exchange of fire with the police.
Taufiq had a total of 15 cases registered against him at different police stations of the state, including Pratapgarh, Amethi, Sultanpur and Prayagraj.
Inspector general of police (Prayagraj range) K P Singh on Monday told TOI, “Taufiq, who sustained injuries in exchange of fire with the police party, had escaped from the spot on Saturday night after the encounter. His family members had initially taken him to a hospital in Pratapgarh from where the doctors referred him to Prayagraj.”
The IG added that the criminal’s family members then took him to a private hospital in Prayagraj, where the doctors advised them to take him to Lucknow for treatment where he died.
The body of the criminal was sent for post-mortem examination.
Police, meanwhile, said that two cops sustained gunshot injuries after Taufiq and others had opened fire on a police party when they had gone to conduct a raid at the house of Taufiq at Babu Tara village under the limits of Lalganj police station of Pratapgarh district late on Saturday night.
The injured constables, Satyam Yadav and Shri Ram Singh, are undergoing treatment at Pratapgarh Medical College.
Pratapgarh police claimed that a joint team of special operations group (SOG) and Lalganj police, acting upon a tip-off that the wanted criminal was hiding in a house in Lal Tara village, had conducted a raid to nab him late Saturday night. The criminal along with his accomplices had opened fire on the police party, leaving two policemen injured. He too had sustained injuries in the encounter.
Taufiq was involved in over a dozen cases, including ATM frauds and police of four districts were looking for him for a long time.
Meanwhile, family members of the slain criminal accused policemen of targeting Taufiq intentionally. Heavy police bandobast was made at the village to defuse tension.