UP: Criminal carrying Rs 1.5 lakh reward killed in encounter

Basti: A criminal carrying a reward of Rs 1.5 lakh was shot dead during an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police near Suhela village here in the early hours of Monday, police said.

Firoz Pathan was wanted in several cases in Uttar Pradesh and other states. He was killed during a gunfight, in which Special Task Force (STF) constable Imran was also injured, the force's Gorakhpur unit chief Dharmesh Shahi said.

Acting on a tip-off, a team comprising STF and local police personnel surrounded the Lalgarh area early in the morning and noticed two men coming on a motorcycle, Superintendent of Police, Basti, Hemraj Meena, said.

When the men were signalled to stop, the person riding pillion got down from the motorcycle and started firing at the team. The other person managed to escape, he said.

Pathan and constable Imran were injured in the gunfight. They were taken to a community health centre from where Pathan was referred to the district hospital. Doctors at the hospital declared him dead, Meena said.

Police in Basti had declared a reward of Rs 1 lakh on Pathan and Allahabad police Rs 50,000, Shahi said.

The state government has announced a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh for the police team for the successful operation.