Dubey shot dead in ‘exchange of fire’

Dubey shot dead in ‘exchange of fire’

 

U.P. police, STF claim gangster was killed when trying to flee after a road accident en route to Kanpur

Vikas Dubey, the historysheeter accused of killing eight policemen in Bikru village last week, was gunned down early on Friday while allegedly trying to flee from custody after an accident as he was being taken from Ujjain to Kanpur, the Uttar Pradesh police said.  The police team shot Dubey multiple times after he fired at them from a pistol he managed to snatch from a police officer, who was injured in the accident, the U.P. Special Task Force (STF) said in a statement.Vehicle turns turtle  The STF said the vehicle carrying Dubey lost control and overturned when the driver, who was tired after a long journey, turned sharply to avoid a herd of cattle that suddenly ran onto the road. The accident happened near a hospital in the Sachendi area on the national highway a few kilometres ahead ofKanpur around 6.45 a.m. Dubey was being escorted to Kanpur to be produced in a court, police said. Dubey is the sixth person to be eliminated by the Uttar Pradesh police following the killing of eight policemen by the gangster and his associates on the night of July 2­3 at Bikru village. The police operation came under question after several journalists, who were trailing the convoy from Ujjain, said their cars were suddenly stopped a few kilometres ahead of the spot where Dubey was shot. Several social media users also asked the U.P. police to explain why Dubey, who was earlier seen in a TATA SUV while crossing a toll plaza,happened to be in another vehicle that met with the “accident”.  A journalist, who was trailing the convoy from near Jalaun, said several journalists were stopped at the tollbooth there without proper explanation. “I then asked my friends, who were further ahead, to keep track. However, even they were stopped for security checks,” said the journalist on condition of anonymity.Traffic blocked Another mediaperson said several private vehicles, including those of journalists, were blocked at the Barra toll plaza some 10­11 km away. The mediaperson also said that along the way the police constantly shifted Dubey from one car to another and even changed the formation of the moving vehicles.