New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Police’s special task force on Thursday, May 4, gunned down alleged gangster Anil Dujana in an encounter in Meerut, PTI reported.
Police officials told the news agency that the special task force team retaliated when the gangster opened fire at them after being cornered. His car had crashed into a pole, the report added.
In a press statement, the UP STF said Dujana was alone in the vehicle at the time of the incident, the news agency reported.
“According to preliminary information, Anil Dujana was going to meet some of his gang members. The SUV he was travelling in collided with an electric pole after being surrounded by the STF team,” special director general of police (law and order) Prashant Kumar said.
The encounter took place on the day of polling for the first phase of the urban local body elections in the state.
According to PTI, Dujana was accused in 18 cases of murder. He was released from Tihar jail last month, news reports said.
The news comes weeks after Atiq Ahmed’s son, Asad, was killed in an encounter by a team of the UP STF in Jhansi. Days later, Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf – both in custody of the UP Police – were killed, in Prayagraj, while being taken for medical examination and while speaking to reporters.
Days after the murders, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had said that “no mafia or criminal can threaten industrialists in Uttar Pradesh anymore.”
While the chief minister’s comments prompted criticism, several experts questioned the glaring security lapse by the police.
Talking about Dujana’s encounter, special DGP (law and order) Prashant Kumar said the state police have been keeping tabs on 65 gangsters, including Dujana, who was known for terrorising people in the national capital region.