A suspected liquor smuggler who was allegedly involved in the murder of two RPF personnel last month was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police in the Ghazipur district on Tuesday (September 24), officials said. The suspect was identified as Mohammad Zahid, alias Sonu, suffered severe injuries in the gunfight late Monday night and was declared dead at the district hospital in Ghazipur in the early hours of Tuesday, they added.
This was the second encounter incident in a week in which the suspect was killed in a gunfight in Uttar Pradesh.
The Noida unit of UP Special Task Force (STF) and the local Ghazipur Police team were part of the operation, Additional Director General (Law and Order and STF) Amitabh Yash said on Monday night.
Railway Protection Force (RPF) constables Javed Khan and Pramod Kumar were killed in the intervening night of August 19 and 20 when they were trying to stop the smuggling bid of illegal liquor in the Barmer Guwahati Express (train number 15631), Yash said. The liquor smugglers allegedly brutally beat up both the constables and threw them off the moving train, which led to their deaths, he added.
What did the police say?
Ghazipur Superintendent of Police Iraj Raja said Zahid alias Sonu, a native of Patna, had suffered injuries in the encounter in which two police personnel also got injured.
"Zahid was the main conspirator of the August 19-20 incident. We had received inputs about him once again trying to smuggle liquor on the same route near Dildarnagar. A team of the Ghazipur Police and the Noida unit of STF rounded up Zahid, ensuing a gunbattle in which he suffered severe injuries. Two policemen also suffered injuries," Raja said.
"He (Zahid) was first taken to a CHC and from there referred to the district hospital where the doctors declared him dead. He died after the encounter. Further legal proceedings are being carried out," he told reporters.
Zahid alias Sonu (25) carried a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh, he added.
Raja said six other persons involved in the August 19-20 incident had already been arrested following two separate encounters.
Encounter in Sultanpur jewellery store robbery case
In a significant development in the high-profile Sultanpur jewellery store robbery case, Uttar Pradesh Police achieved major success after an encounter with the 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.
(With PTI inputs)
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