Rs 2.5 Lakh Bounty On Criminal Wanted In Killing Of 8 Policemen In UP

The bounty on Vikas Dubey, the gangster who has been missing since Friday after allegedly killing eight policemen, has been increased to Rs 2.5 lakh.

"The cash reward for the arrest of Vikas Dubey has been increased to Rs 2.50 lakh by UP Director General of Police HC Awasthy," Additional Director General Law and Order Prashant Kumar said on Monday.

Eight policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, were killed when they went to a village in Kanpur in the early hours of Friday to arrest Dubey, one of the state's most notorious criminals charged in 60 criminal cases including murders.

Dubey, said to be in his 50s, has been missing since the massacre. In the past, he had been arrested several times but had always escaped conviction.

The bounty on him was earlier increased from Rs 50,000 to one lakh.

A photo of Dubey has been put up at a check-post near the India-Nepal border. Dubey was reportedly last traced to Auraiya and the police suspect he may have left UP and escaped to Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan.

Four policemen suspected to have tipped off Dubey about teams heading to his village to arrest him have been suspended.

Roadblocks including an earth-mover had been put up on Thursday night on routes to Dubey's village, which forced the police to abandon their vehicles. When they finally reached the village, gunfire broke out from rooftops. The shooters had an advantage over the cops, who could not see them as bullets rained. Eight policemen died on the spot while seven were wounded.

Dubey's uncle was shot dead by the police and one of his associates has been arrested. This aide has allegedly claimed that Dubey had received a phone call from the police station alerting him to the raid. The criminal then called in reinforcements and organized the ambush.

The district administration on Saturday demolished the gangster's house and visuals showed cars and other vehicles in the premises of the complex being crushed by machines.

Vikas Dubey's criminal record began in 1990 with a case of murder. Over the years, charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, extortion and rioting added to his record.

In 2001, Dubey was charged with the murder of Santosh Shukla, a Kanpur BJP leader who was chased and shot dead inside a police station. Dubey "surrendered" in 2002 but was acquitted.

On Thursday, three police teams had gathered forces and headed to the village to arrest Dubey in a fresh case of attempted murder registered by a villager.

Dubey, who has political links and was also a political party member in the past, kept an armed group of henchmen around him.