Wanted criminal shot dead in encounter with police in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad

Firozabad (UP): A wanted criminal carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head was shot dead in an encounter with police here on Sunday, officials said.

Naresh (35) was the prime accused in the sensational Rs 2 crore cash van robbery that took place on September 30 in the Makhanpur police station area, police said in a release.

Sunday's encounter broke out when Naresh allegedly fired at police near the Halpura underpass in the Banipur forest region. A bullet hit the bulletproof jacket of an additional superintendent of police while station officer of Ramgarh sustained injuries in the firing, police said.

Naresh was shot in retaliatory firing by police. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries, they said.

Giving details of the September 30 robbery, police said the cash van, which was going from Kanpur to Agra, was intercepted by two vehicles near Ghanpai village. The assailants smashed the driver's window and hit him with the butt of a firearm before tying him up inside the vehicle. They fled with an estimated Rs 2 crore cash.

Investigation led to the arrest of six sharpshooters involved in the heist and the recovery of Rs 1 crore from them, police said.

As part of efforts to recover the remaining loot, Naresh, who was in custody, led police to a location in Aligarh where he claimed he had hidden Rs 20 lakh. However, he managed to escape on the way, they said.

Following his escape, the deputy inspector general, Agra Range, announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his arrest, they added.

On Sunday, police teams traced Naresh based on a tip-off.

Police recovered two pistols, a revolver, numerous spent cartridges and a bag containing a substantial amount of cash, suspected to be part of the stolen money from the encounter site. Forensic teams are currently examining the scene, police said.

A resident of Arni village in Khair, Aligarh, Naresh had a long criminal record. He was wanted in multiple cases of robbery and those registered under the Arms Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at police stations across Delhi, Faridabad and Ghaziabad.