In a significant development in the high-profile Sultanpur jewellery store robbery case, Uttar Pradesh Police achieved a major success after an encounter with accused in Unnao district. The Special Task Force (STF) of the UP Police engaged in a shootout with the robbers in the Achalganj police station area of Unnao district, resulting in the death of one of the key accused while another managed to escape. The deceased accused has been identified as Anuj Pratap Singh.
How the encounter unfolded?
The encounter took place during a joint operation conducted by the STF Lucknow team. According to police reports, one of Singh was injured during the shootout after which he was immediately rushed to the hospital by 108 ambulance services. After receiving initial treatment, he was referred to the district hospital, where he was declared dead by the attending doctors. Meanwhile, another accused took advantage of the situation and managed to flee the scene.
Looted items recovered
In earlier operations, the police had already made significant progress in recovering the stolen items from the Sultanpur jewellery shop. Acting on information, the police had arrested four wanted criminals: Vivek Singh, Durgesh Singh, Arvind Yadav, and Vinay Shukla. The police recovered 2.25 kilograms of gold, 20 kilograms of silver, and a large amount of cash. The mastermind of the robbery case, Vipin Singh, had surrendered to the authorities the day after the incident took place.
OP Rajbhar's reaction on incident
Reacting to the encounter, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh minister OP Rajbhar criticised Akhilesh Yadav for turning the incident into a caste issue. "Akhilesh ji has made casteism an issue. Criminals do not have a caste," Rajbhar added.
Background of the incident
The incident shook the region when robbers looted the Bharat Jewellers shop, stealing a large amount of gold, silver, and cash. The police had launched a large-scale manhunt to capture the criminals involved in the daring robbery. After days of investigation, the STF was able to track down some of the suspects, leading to the recent encounters and arrests.
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