‘Shot at SHO, fled into forest’ — Dehradun robbery accused killed in police ‘encounter’

The deceased had more than a dozen serious criminal cases registered against him in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, including murder, robbery, and dacoity, police said. “In another robbery case, Shamli police had also earlier declared a reward of Rs 5,000 on his arrest while he was absconding,” Dobhal said.

The police have claimed that FSL identified the accused through his mobile phone retrieved from the spot, and they traced his criminal history to find his alleged role in the 2014 murder. “Along with his associates, he had committed a dacoity at a house in the Balawala area, during which the family members were held hostage and a young man named Ankit was shot dead, and other members of the family were seriously injured while jewellery and cash were looted from the house. In that case, the accused Akram remained absconding for about three years, and he was arrested in 2017 by Dehradun police,” the officer said.

On the intervening night between Wednesday and Thursday, it was informed that a person was shot at. Upon receiving the information, the SHO of Premnagar along with police force immediately reached the spot, where the injured person, Devaraj, who works as a contractor, stated that some persons travelling in a black car with a Gujarat registration number had intercepted his scooter, shot him, and looted his bag containing Rs 2 lakh, a mobile phone, a diary related to financial transactions, and other documents, and fled towards Vishranti, police claimed. The police team saw a black car moving in the forest; upon chasing it, the accused in the car opened fire on the police team, abandoned the vehicle, and fled into the forest.

“When chased further, they again fired at the police team, in which one bullet hit the SHO, Premnagar. In retaliatory fire by the police in self-defence, one accused was shot, while the other escaped towards the forest. From the injured accused, police recovered one country-made pistol, one country-made firearm and the entire looted property. The injured SHO, the accused, and the robbery victim were taken to the Primary Health Centre, Premnagar, and from there all three were referred to a higher centre, where, during treatment at Coronation Hospital, the injured accused died,” the officer claimed.

In connection with the robbery incident, on the basis of the complaint given by Devaraj, an FIR has been registered under sections including attempted murder, with details of the encounter.