LUCKNOW: An extortionist who had demanded Rs 5 crore from a businessman and exporter was shot dead by the Moradabad Police on Wednesday.
The extortionist, identified as Ashu Chadha alias Monty, was a sharp shooter associated with the Udham Singh gang active in western Uttar Pradesh. As many as 33 cases, including murder and robbery, were registered against him. He was a resident of Mirapur village in Hapur district's Hafizpur police station area, and had recently been released from jail on bail.
Ashu was on the run in connection with an extortion case and carried a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for information about his location and arrest. Moradabad police had been conducting raids to catch him, and he was shot at near the post-mortem house in the Civil Lines area of Moradabad city.
As per police sources, the team had cordoned off the Civil Lines area after getting a tip-off about his presence. Around 9 pm on Wednesday night, he reached the spot to collect the extortion money.
“When Ashu saw the cops near the post-mortem house, he tried to flee on a bike while opening fire at the police party. In retaliation, the police party hit him twice. One bullet struck his chest, killing him instantly,” said a police official. Police immediately took him to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead upon arrival.
However, another criminal who was accompanying Ashu fled into the darkness.
According to the police, on March 12, Ashu called up Arshu Dhal, a resident of Shubham Green Villa and an exporter of brass, glass, and wooden home decor items to more than 125 countries
As per Arshu Dhal's complaint, he received a missed call from an unknown number on the night of March 12. Approximately a minute later, he got a WhatsApp call from the same number and when he attended the call, the person on the other end started abusing him. Consequently, Arshu Dhal disconnected the call.
Later, the accused sent a WhatsApp message asking Dhal to arrange Rs 5 crore immediately. Again, on March 14, around 2.30 pm, the accused sent a message on WhatsApp. The accused allegedly threatened Arshu, referring to his association with the Udham Singh gang.
Ashu allegedly threatened Arshu that he would be killed if he failed to arrange the money. The next day, some bike-borne miscreants allegedly reached the gate of Arshu's firm and opened fire. After the firing incident, the security guard filed a complaint at the Civil Lines police station.
Taking cognisance of the matter, Moradabad SSP Satpal Antil had deployed five teams of police personnel to trace the gang.
Ashu, who went to jail in a murder case in 2010, got acquainted with the members of the Udham Singh gang while in jail. After his release, Ashu became an active member of the gang. After getting bail, he repeatedly committed murders and robberies. Multiple cases were registered against him in several police stations of Western Uttar Pradesh.
Police sources added that Udham Singh, a notorious criminal from Western UP, was released on bail on March 26, after a period of over four years. Following his release, Meerut police has issued alerts across western UP.