Killing of eight cops: Police inspector tipped history-sheeter of raid

An Uttar Pradesh Police inspector was on Saturday suspended and taken into custody on suspicion of tipping history-sheeter Vikas Dubey off about the raid during which eight cops, including a circle officer (CO), were killed in the state's Kanpur district on Friday.

Vinay Tewari, who was also the SHO of the nearby Chaubepur police station and part of the team, that had raided Dubey's residence at Bikaru village, was detained and quizzed by the special task force (STF) sleuths.

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Sources said that Tewari had visited Dubey's residence on Friday in connection with a case. Sources also said that the call details of the history-sheeter had revealed that he had cell numbers of many police personnel, including Tewari.

"The way the raiding police team came under fire from different sides clearly reveals that Vikas had prior information about the raid and that he was ready," said a senior police official in Kanpur on Saturday.

Meanwhile, 25 police teams had been formed the nab the history-sheeter, who continued to be at large after Friday's encounter. Police teams conducted raids at several places to nab him though without success.

The police had also demolished the gangster's ancestral house at the village after suspicion that there could be some underground construction there.

The incident could not have come at a worse time for chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who was already under attack from the Opposition parties over alleged mishandling of the migrant workers' crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.