LUCKNOW: The gangster involved in the alleged gangrape of two minors in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhmipur Kheri, was neutralised in a shootout during a joint operation by the Sultanpur and Lakhimpur Kheri police early on Monday morning.
According to the Police, gangster Talib alias Azam Khan, who carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his arrest or info about his whereabouts, was a habitual offender with 17 criminal cases registered against him at different police stations in the district.
The Lakhimpur Kheri police spokesperson said Talib, along with his two aides Salman and Mukhtar, were booked for the gangrape of two minors.
The crime took place at around 6.30 am on December 15, when the two girls were on their way to attend tuition classes on their bicycles.
According to police sources, the three accused waylaid the girls and forcibly dragged them to a sugarcane field, where they allegedly took turns assaulting the minors before fleeing the scene.
An FIR was lodged against the accused and his accomplices on the basis of the complaint submitted by the family of the victims.
The three accused were identified based on the description of the physical appearance of the accused given by the victims, police sources said.
Subsequently, a police team of the local police station, in search of the accused, got a tip-off about the movement of the accused — Salman and Mukhtar — in the area.
The team of cops laid a trap leading to an exchange of fire when the duo was asked by the cops to surrender. Both suffered gunshot injuries to their legs in the firing 20, police said.
During interrogation, two accused allegedly divulged the details of the whereabouts of the main accused Azam. As a result, the Kheri police sought help from their counterparts in Sultanpur to trace the wanted gangster.
Sultanpur SP, Kunwar Anupam Singh, said in a statement that they got information about the movement of Azam within the jurisdiction of Lambhua police station of Sultanpur. Acting on the input, Sultanpur Police and Lakhimpur Kheri Police jointly cordoned off the area.
During the operation, upon finding himself surrounded by the cops, Azam reportedly opened fire at the police team with the intention to kill.
The police fired back in self-defence during which the accused was injured. He was rushed to the hospital for medical intervention but was declared dead upon arrival by the doctors, said Sultanpur SP.
The Kheri police spokesperson said Azam was already carrying a reward of Rs 50,000, and this amount was increased to Rs 1 lakh after he was booked in the gangrape case.