Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai)

Kanpur gangster’s house demolished

ACTION Police sub-inspector suspended over his alleged role in the incident during which Dubey’s men sprayed bullets and killed eight cops

- Haidar Naqvi letters@hindustant­imes.in

THE DAY AFTER ENCOUNTER

KANPUR: Officials on Saturday razed the house of a dreaded criminal whose accomplice­s have shot dead eight policemen and suspended a sub-inspector who is under the scanner after the failed raid in a village in Kanpur Dehat district.

For the demolition drive, the Kanpur district administra­tion used the same earthmover machine that criminals used to block police vehicles arriving Bikru village, 45km from the district headquarte­rs, on Thursday night for a raid against gangster Vikas Dubey, 48.

Dubey’s men sprayed a volley of bullets on the policemen from the roofs of his house and structures nearby after they got off their vehicles, killing a deputy superinten­dent, three sub-inspectors and four constables in an ambush that the police said termed a “well-planned conspiracy”. The criminals looted their weapons and escaped in the dark.

Kanpur inspector general Mohit Agarwal said the fortified one-storey house, built in 2013 over four bighas in the middle of the village, was a “hub of criminals”. The palatial house had a 12-foot boundary wall protected by barbed wire. “Most of the villagers have said that he [Dubey] grabbed people’s land using muscle power, and built his house. He used to extort money from people,” Agarwal said.

He said the police were gathering details of Dubey’s other properties, including benami ones. “Dubey will be arrested soon,”

Agarwal added. Two SUVS parked in Dubey’s garage were taken out and destroyed along with two tractors parked in the courtyard. The demolition began early morning amidst heavy police presence.

Dubey’s father, Ram Kumar, was living in the house. He was taken to Lucknow. Dubey’s wife lives in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, with their younger son. The older son is studying in the UK.

After the shootout, Dubey could have taken away the digital video recorder (DVR), which stored the feed from CCTV cameras installed at his house, according to officials.

He used CCTV cameras to keep a watch up to the main road that leads to his house. During a search of his house on Friday, police investigat­ors could not find the DVR.THE police were also investigat­ing as to who snapped the power supply to the village when the police reached for a raid. An official said there was a total blackout at the time.

In a related developmen­t, officials probing the case questioned Chaubeypur station officer (SO) Vinay Tiwari for nine hours. He was later suspended and shifted to Lucknow.chaubeypur, about 14km from Bikru, is the place where an attempt to murder case was registered against Dubey on Wednesday by a villager. The team that went to raid Dubey’s village past Thursday midnight set off from the police station in Chaubeypur.

“In view of the allegation­s levelled against the SO, he has been suspended, and all the allegation­s are being thoroughly looked into. If his involvemen­t or that of any other personnel of the police is found in this incident, then they will be sacked from the department, and also sent to jail,” Agarwal said at Chaubeypur police station. He did not specify on the allegation­s against Tiwari.

Officials said the criminals used the weapons snatched from the policemen to fire at them. A police spokespers­on said the weapons snatched in Bikru included an AK-47 rifle, an INSAS rifle, a Glock pistol and two .9mm pistols.doctors took out AK-47 cartridges from the body of a constable, according to the post-mortem report. The doctors also retrieved pieces of .315 and .312 bore bullets, which were fired from rifles and single or double barrel guns, the police said. The maximum seven bullets hit a subinspect­or, forensic experts said.

Deputy superinten­dent Devendra Mishra was shot in the head, chest and legs from close range as doctors found carbon deposits around the wounds, said officials who are part of the investigat­ion.superinten­dent of police, rural, Brajesh Shrivastav­a said the bullets and their pieces recovered during the autopsy were being sent for forensic analysis.about 25 police teams have spread out across Uttar Pradesh and other states to apprehend Dubey, who is facing 60 criminal cases, and his associates, officials said.

WAS CORRALLING DOGS FOR STERILISAT­ION

 ?? PTI ?? An earthmover removes the mangled remains of a car during the demolition Vikay Dubey’s residence in Kanpur, Saturday.
PTI An earthmover removes the mangled remains of a car during the demolition Vikay Dubey’s residence in Kanpur, Saturday.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India