The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested two ‘masterminds’ of a firing and arson incident in Izzatnagar after a brief encounter, officials said on Sunday (june 30). The incident occurred on June 22 after a violence broke out between two groups over the possession of a vacant plot. One of the accused, Rajiv Rana, set two JCB machines on fire, which were parked near the disputed land, next to another accused, Aditya Upadhyay's marble shop, police said earlier.
This led to firing between the two groups, they added. A purported video of the incident had surfaced online.
"KP Yadav and Subhash Lodhi, who were masterminds of the shooting incident, were arrested after a brief encounter with the police team on Saturday night," Superintendent of Police (city) Rahul Bhati said.
The duo sustained bullet injuries in their legs and were admitted to a hospital for treatment.
Bhati said that Yadav and Lodhi had taken Rs 30 lakh from Rana to vacate the piece of land on the Pilibhit Bypass road in the Izzatnagar area. They both participated in the shooting and arson incident.
Police recovered two country-made pistols from the possession of the accused, Bhati said.
According to police, KP Yadav is a member of Rithaura Municipality and has 14 cases lodged against him in various police stations of the district. Subhash Lodhi also has 13 cases lodged against him. Seven policemen, including the Station House Officer (SHO) of Izzatnagar Police Station, were suspended for negligence regarding the incident.
Senior Superintendent of Police of Bareilly Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan was shunted by the state government a few days later.
So far, over 26 people from both groups, including Rana and Upadhyay, have been arrested in the case. Further investigation is underway, Bhati said.
(With PTI inputs)
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