Bulandshahr/Ballia, June 6 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Police’s ongoing crackdown on criminals continued, with separate encounters reported in Bulandshahr and Ballia districts. Two accused were arrested during the operations, including a man wanted in connection with a murder case and another carrying a reward of Rs 25,000 for his arrest.

In Bulandshahr, police apprehended Faizan Qureshi, an accused in the murder of Vipin, a resident of Sikandrabad. Officials said Vipin’s body was recovered on June 2 from a drain near a closed factory on Chola Road.

According to the police investigation, Faizan Qureshi and his associate, Zaid Saifi, allegedly murdered Vipin before stuffing his body into a sack and dumping it in the drain to conceal the crime. Police said the accused also snatched Vipin’s e-rickshaw, and the murder was allegedly committed during the course of the robbery.

Officials stated that Faizan was attempting to dispose of the stolen e-rickshaw when police teams tracked him down late on Friday night. During the operation, an encounter broke out between the accused and the police. While Zaid Saifi managed to escape from the spot, Faizan sustained bullet injuries in retaliatory police action and was taken into custody.

Police recovered the stolen e-rickshaw from his possession. A country-made pistol and live cartridges were also seized during the operation. Circle Officer (CO) Bhaskar Mishra said that Faizan has allegedly confessed to his involvement in the crime during interrogation. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the absconding co-accused.

In a separate incident in Ballia district, police arrested a wanted criminal carrying a reward of Rs 25,000 after an encounter in the Dokti police station area. The accused, identified as Dheeraj Singh, suffered a gunshot injury to his left leg and is currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sanjay Verma said that the encounter took place late Friday night after police received information about the accused’s movement near the Dokti Dala area. A police team laid a trap and attempted to intercept him.

According to the ASP, Dheeraj allegedly opened fire on the police while trying to escape. The police retaliated in self-defence, injuring him in the leg before taking him into custody. A firearm was recovered from the accused, who is reported to have several criminal cases registered against him. Further legal proceedings are underway.

–IANS

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