The Gangster Act was invoked against 30 persons, including Vikas Dubey and his henchmen, following the massacre of eight cops, including DSP Devendra Mishra, three Sub-Inspectors and four constables, who were ambushed in Bikhru village under Chaubeypur police station area in Kanpur Dehat, when they were on their way to arrest gangster Vikas Dubey shortly after midnight.
The 30-member police team had gone to raid the hideout of the gangster Vikas Dubey in connection with a case of attempt to murder registered against him in Chaubeypur police station.
According to Special DG (law and order) Prashant Kumar, all 23 accused have also been slapped with a financial penalty of Rs 50,000 each. However, seven of the accused were acquitted by Additional District Judge-5 Durgesh in Kanpur Dehat for want of evidence.
According to the statement issued by the Special DG, "After hearing all the 30 accused in the Bikhru massacre case, the court in Mati, the district headquarters of Kanpur Dehat, on Tuesday, delivered its final judgement on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, sentencing 23 of the 30 accused persons 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 each."
It may be recalled that Dubey was killed by STF sleuths escorting him to Kanpur from Ujjain when the vehicle, in which he was being ferried, met with an accident. Taking advantage of the situation, he tried to escape by firing on the accompanying cops and was killed in retaliatory firing by the STF team on July 10.
Vikas Dubey, with a total of 61 criminal cases, including eight of murder involving the killing of at least 15 persons, registered against him, was arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police from outside the Mahakal temple in Ujjain on July 9 and was being taken back to Kanpur through Jhansi. The vehicle turned turtle in Sachendi near Kanpur due to heavy rains. Four members of the STF team accompanying him were also injured in the mishap.
Following a manhunt for Dubey's henchmen after the July 2/3 incident, police killed at least five of his accomplices, who were involved in the attack, demolished his sprawling bungalow, and arrested at least a dozen people, including his wife and son along with the cops who had aided his escape and shelter. The bounty on Vikas Dubey’s head was raised from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh while he was on the run.
