LUCKNOW: An inter-state criminal with a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head was killed allegedly in a police encounter in Muzaffarnagar district of Western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.
According to senior police officials, the deceased was identified as Amjad, a resident of Harsauli village.
Police sources said that at around 3:30 am on Thursday, they received information that Amjad was heading toward his village. Acting on the tip-off, a police cordon was laid.
Amjad had nearly 40 criminal cases registered against him across multiple states, including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Uttarakhand, officials said.
Senior police authorities stated that a joint team from Budhana, Titavi, and Shahpur police stations conducted the operation on Thursday when Amjad allegedly opened fire at the police party.
Authorities claimed that despite repeated warnings to surrender, Amjad continued indiscriminate firing with a carbine and a pistol, discharging a total of 20 rounds. SP Rural Aditya Bansal, CO Gajendra Singh, and Station House Officer Subhash Atri narrowly escaped, with bullets striking their bulletproof jackets. Sub-Inspector Sandeep Chaudhary and Constable Ashfaq, however, sustained gunshot injuries to the hand.
Police allegedly retaliated with four rounds of fire in self-defence. During the exchange, Amjad sustained gunshot injuries and collapsed. “He was immediately shifted to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Budhana for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries,” a senior police officer said.
Officials added that Amjad was wanted in two recent cases registered at Budhana police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and had been evading arrest for a long time. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Saharanpur Range, had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for his capture.
Describing his criminal profile, police said Amjad was a notorious inter-state criminal involved in murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, illegal arms possession, and narcotics-related offences. Cases against him had been registered in Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Noida, Delhi, Haridwar, Churu (Rajasthan), Gopalganj (Bihar), and Bijnor.
In 2021, he had looted 5 kg of gold from Muthoot Finance in Churu, Rajasthan. He often carried out crimes while wearing a police uniform. He had recently committed a robbery in the Budhana police station area, and police were actively searching for him in connection with that case.
Senior officials said further legal formalities and departmental procedures related to the "encounter" are currently underway.