Uttar Pradesh saw 35 encounters between May 6 and May 7 that left three dead and 35 injured, police records show.
The sequence of events in most of these shootings is similar — the suspects fired at police, tried to flee and were shot in the leg in retaliatory fire.
Police said these encounters took place in Hardoi, Mathura, Bareilly, Gonda, Etawah, Shravasti, Lakhimpur Kheri, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Varanasi, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Amroha, Rae Bareli, Jaunpur and Mau, among other districts.
Muzaffarnagar recorded the highest number with seven encounters while Hardoi, Jaunpur, Varanasi, Bareilly, Lakhimpur Kheri and Rae Bareli reported two each.
Police said 20 suspects were arrested without injury.
In two separate incidents, four police officers were also injured. Officials said their condition remains stable.
The three deaths
Mathura, May 7
Police in Mathura shot dead two alleged members of the Bawaria gang who were wanted in connection with a robbery last month, during which a family was held hostage while jewellery and other valuables were stolen.
What transpired: Police claim that acting on intelligence inputs, they attempted to arrest the two suspects but the men allegedly opened fire and tried to flee.
Police returned fire, injuring both suspects. Two police officers were also wounded. Senior Superintendent of Police, Shlok Kumar, said doctors declared the two accused — Pappu alias Rajendra and Dharmveer alias Lambu, both from Rajasthan — dead on arrival.
Police said the men carried rewards of Rs 50,000 each and operated across several states using multiple identities.
Police records show that Pappu was wanted in 11 cases, Dharmveer had 16 cases registered against him. Police said they obtained videos showing their involvement in crimes in different parts of the country and are coordinating with authorities for further details.
Hardoi, May 6
Police in Hardoi shot dead a man accused of kidnapping a seven-year-old boy last week before allegedly sexually assaulting and strangling him. Police identified the suspect as Menoor, alias Mehnuddin, a history-sheeter from neighbouring Kannauj district with around a dozen criminal cases registered against him across UP.
Hardoi Superintendent of Police, Ashok Kumar Meena, said the suspect’s role emerged during the investigation and, after he remained on the run, police announced a Rs 50,000 cash reward for his arrest.
What transpired: According to police, the accused was cornered on Wednesday morning while he was on a motorcycle. On spotting the police team, he allegedly opened fire in an attempt to escape.
Police fired back and the accused was shot; he was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. A police sub-inspector was also shot in the hand.
The suspects shot in the leg
Fatehpur, May 7
In the early hours of Thursday, police said they arrested a man carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh after an encounter in a dense scrubland in Khaga area in which he was shot in the leg.
Police said the accused, Bablu Singraur (29), was wanted in connection with cases involving gangrape, extortion and offences under the IT Act. Police said he has five cases registered against him.
Muzaffarnagar, May 6
Police said they solved a mobile phone snatching case in Nai Mandi by arresting four suspects in two separate encounters; all four were shot in the leg.
First, Amar and Guddu, both in their 20s, were nabbed. Officers said weapons were recovered from the pair, along with a motorcycle allegedly used in the crime. Police later arrested two more suspects, Abhishek and Sagar, in their 20s, from the same area.
Muzaffarnagar, May 5
-Salman alias Shehzad (22), a Muzaffarnagar resident wanted by Punjab Police in a theft case, was arrested in Nai Mandi after an exchange of fire in which he sustained a leg injury. Police records show Salman faces four criminal cases in Muzaffarnagar between 2017 and 2022.
-Police arrested Shivam alias Mota (28), a Saharanpur resident wanted in a dacoity case and carrying a reward of Rs 20,000, in Kotwali. Police said he was shot in the leg and officers recovered stolen jewellery.
-In Budhana, police arrested Shah Rukh Pathan (27), wanted in a dacoity case and carrying a Rs 20,000 reward, in an exchange of fire. He sustained a bullet injury to the leg. Police said Pathan, who had nine criminal cases against him, including attempted murder, was trying to flee the city.
-In Mansoorpur, police said they solved an iPhone snatching case within six hours. Officers said they tracked three suspects and attempted to intercept them, but the accused allegedly opened fire and tried to escape on a motorcycle. Police returned fire and arrested two suspects, Shanky and Manish; the former suffered leg injuries. The third suspect escaped. Police said both arrested men had two criminal cases each.
-Police also arrested a history-sheeter, Khushna alias Khushnaseeb, another Muzaffarnagar resident wanted by Punjab Police in a theft case, in an encounter in which he was shot in the leg. Authorities said Khushna had eight criminal cases registered against him.
Muzaffarnagar Superintendent of Police Sanjai Verma said in the last 40 hours, 10 encounters took place in which 10 accused were arrested after sustaining bullet injuries. “Six more accused were arrested during combing operations. Overall, 16 accused were arrested in the last 40 hours,” he added.
“The government has made its zero-tolerance policy towards crime and criminals unequivocally clear,” Muzaffarnagar Superintendent of Police Sanjai Verma said, adding the police act on specific inputs on wanted criminals.
He said the first attempt of the police is to arrest suspects using minimum force.
Police inspect the spot in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi where the shootout took place on Wednesday morning. (Express Photo) 
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