Agra/Lucknow, May 03: The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh police today shot dead dreaded criminal Neeraj Singh, who was wanted in more than two dozen cases and had recently fled from police custody after killing two policemen. The criminal, hailing from Jaunpur, was evading arrest after he fled on March 16 last after killing two police constables when they were taking him back to Naini Central jail, Allahabad from Jaunpur.
State Additional Director General of Police (STF) Brij Lal in a press conference here said the criminal, for whose arrest the UP police had announced a reward of Rs one lakh, was shot dead in the jungle in Sikandra area of Agra district following a brief encounter.
The ADG said a pistol and a country made gun have been recovered from his possession.
Mr Lal said the criminal, who was on the run, was in Gujarat and Rajasthan as per the electronic survelliance by the STF.
”Yesterday, we got information that Neeraj would be coming to visit some of his gang members in Ansal colony and laid the trap,” he said. This morning at around 0530 hrs, the STF personnel saw Neeraj coming and asked him to surrender. But he opened fire on the police and was shot dead in the counter firing.
More than three dozen criminal cases were pending against the deceased, mostly in eastern parts of the state.
On March 16 last, Neeraj fled from police custody near Ugresenpur railway station from Jaunpur-Allahabad passenger train after killing policemen Dharmendra Singh and Hare Ram. Both police constables of Allahabad were escorting him back to Naini Jail after his appearance in the murder case of a brother of a senior lawyer in Allahabad.
Report also said Neeraj used the mobile phones of the slain policemen to hatch conspiracy of his escape from the running train.
The ADG said the reward on Neeraj was hiked to Rs one lakh on April 24 last. Two criminals– Vivek Singh and Manish Yadav– who assisted Neeraj to kill the policemen and escape from the police custody were yet to be nabbed by the police so far. Police had already announced a reward of Rs 50,000 each on both the criminals.
—-Agencies