Vikas Dubey, the criminal of Kanpur who instilled terror in people around him is absconding after having killed eight Uttar Pradesh Police personnel, in the wee hours of July 3. A police team comprising of 15-16 personnel was ambushed by the goons of Dubey. The team which intended to merely arrest the don-like figure of Kanpur in a fresh murder case was greeted with roadblocks, and upon exiting their vehicles, a reign of bullets and a lethal crossfire, leading to the death of eight police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Vikas Dubey, meanwhile, having orchestrated the carnage, fled the scene and continues to remain absconding. Tempers are running high within the UP government and security apparatus following the deadliest attack on UP Police in years.
Vikas Dubey has a record of over 60 criminal cases, which include murder, attempt to murder, inciting riots, among others. In 2001, the man had murdered Santosh Shukla, a Kanpur BJP leader and then Minister of State. He was chased and shot dead inside the Shivli police station. Such was the fear of the Dubey, that no police personnel chose to testify against him, even in a high-profile murder like that of Shukla’s.
It is being said that Chaubeypur SO, Vinay Tiwari tipped-off Dubey’s men about the raid, which ultimately led to the ghastly attack on UP Police. Tiwari had reportedly in the past refused to register a victim’s complaint against Vikas Dubey. On July 3, he was nabbed and is currently being grilled for his collusion with Vikas Dubey.
The state’s prime focus as of now is getting hold of Vikas Dubey and bringing him to the book. The man, who is said to enjoy political patronage in the state by high and mighty leaders, was never so much as touched in the years gone by. More than 25 police teams have been formed to capture him. A cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been offered for the same information, the amount of which is expected to go much higher if the man is not traced soon. The border areas of Lakhimpur Kheri that lead towards Nepal have also been sealed as police suspect that Dubey may flee to Nepal in order to evade arrest. Police also suspect that he may be hiding in Madhya Pradesh’s Chambal ravines, which is why the Madhya Pradesh police has also been alerted.
Meanwhile, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has also been roped in to help trace the gangster. UP Police’s Special Task Force (STF) and the IB are now working collectively to locate the man at the earliest.
The Kanpur district administration on Saturday used bulldozers to demolish a house belonging to Vikas Dubey. The house was vacated, after which it was brought to the ground by a lone bulldozer. The luxury vehicles of the gangster were also destroyed, and the house is said to have included expensive furniture and electronic gadgets, all of which was destroyed during the demolition, which was more of a symbolic messaging by the administration.
Kanpur: House of the history-sheeter Vikas Dubey, the main accused in Kanpur encounter case, being demolished by district administration. More details awaited.
8 policemen were killed in the encounter which broke out when police went to arrest him in Bikaru, Kanpur yesterday. pic.twitter.com/gukyZZwfl9
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 4, 2020
In Kanpur , the house of #VikasDubey, the criminal who murdered 8 cops , and his cars , all wrecked by the admin in the presence of cops . One could argue this is mere optics , the real action is to arrest dubey and being him to justice . On that count , 36 hours and waiting… pic.twitter.com/m7aJ4iFSFs
— Alok Pandey (@alok_pandey) July 4, 2020
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while saying that no soul involved in the cold-blooded killing of police personnel would be spared, announced a 1 crore rupees ex-gratia for families of the slain officers, while also assuring them of a government job and an extraordinary pension.
The writing on the wall for all criminals and ‘gangsters’ is crystal clear. No one, irrespective of their might and political patronage, will be spared in Uttar Pradesh. Law and order is something which the Yogi government has never compromised on, and instances like these should serve as a reminder to all criminals that any misadventures on their part will be met with an unprecedented and disproportionate response by the state machinery.