A history-sheeter carrying a reward of ₹50,000 on his head was killed in a police encounter in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district early Friday, hours after he and an accomplice allegedly robbed two men at gunpoint on the Muzaffarnagar highway and opened fire when they resisted, police said.
The deceased was identified as Mehtab alias Baichen, a resident of Kairana in Shamli district. According to police, he was wanted in several serious criminal cases, including murder, robbery, dacoity and extortion, and carried a reward of ₹50,000 announced by the deputy inspector general of police, Saharanpur Range.
Superintendent of police (SP) Narendra Pratap Singh said the incident began around 3am when Narendra and his brother Nareshpal were riding a motorcycle to their agricultural fields near Jalalpur village in the Adarsh Mandi police station area.
Police said two motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted them on the Muzaffarnagar highway, threatened them with a firearm and robbed them of their motorcycle key, an Oppo mobile phone and cash. The accused allegedly opened fire on the victims when they resisted before fleeing the spot.
A case was subsequently registered at Adarsh Mandi police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for robbery and attempt to murder.
During a district-wide checking drive launched after the incident, joint teams of Adarsh Mandi and Kandhla police traced the suspects near a tube well close to Khandrawali bridge in the Kandhla police station area.
According to police, the accused opened fire on the team, prompting retaliatory firing in self-defence.
Mehtab sustained bullet injuries during the exchange of fire, while Sub-Inspector Deepchand of Adarsh Mandi police station was also shot and injured. Both were taken to the district hospital in Shamli, where doctors declared Mehtab dead during treatment. The injured officer is undergoing treatment.
Police said Mehtab’s accomplice managed to escape by taking advantage of darkness and standing crops. A combing operation has been launched to trace and arrest the absconding suspect.
According to police, the recovered items include the looted mobile phone, ₹180 in cash, the victims’ motorcycle key, the motorcycle allegedly used in the crime, a 9 mm pistol with six live cartridges, a carbine with seven live cartridges and eight spent 9 mm cartridge cases.
Police said Mehtab had 33 criminal cases registered against him in Shamli and Saharanpur districts and was listed as a history-sheeter at Kairana police station.
He was also wanted in connection with a March 1 robbery in which the assistant manager of Thana Bhawan Sugar Mill and a woman constable of Haryana Police were allegedly robbed of cash, jewellery and a mobile phone.
Police said further legal proceedings are underway at Kandhla police station.
