Kanpur/Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh police have suspended three more of their men, suspecting that they tipped off Vikas Dubey whose gang members killed eight policemen in an ambush at a village near Kanpur last week. Since then Vikas Dubey has been absconding.
They are also probing into the allegations against Chaubeypur station officer Vinay Tiwari in a purported letter written by deputy superintendent of police Devendra Mishra weeks before he was killed in the same ambush. The letter, whose authenticity is yet to be confirmed, indicated that there were ‘links’ between Tiwari and Dubey.
Police had earlier suspended Tiwari and were already examining the possibility that he informed the gangster about the police team heading to Bikru village to arrest him.
Also read: Kanpur encounter: Now Rs 2.5 lakh reward on gangster Vikas Dubey’s head
The gangster, who has faced about 60 criminal cases over the years, then allegedly laid a trap for the policemen, his henchmen spraying them with bullets from a rooftop. Police also increased Monday the reward for Dubey’s arrest to Rs 2.5 lakh, up from Rs 1,00,000 offered earlier.
Twenty-five teams drawn from 40 police stations are conducting raids to track down the gangster, an official said. Posters carrying his picture have been put up at road toll plazas across Uttar Pradesh. “We are expecting good news soon,” Kanpur Range Inspector General Mohit Agarwal said Monday.
Police said apart from Vinay Tiwari, three other policemen from the same station are under the scanner. “Three police personnel have been suspended for their suspected role in leakage of information,” Kanpur’s Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar P said. They are sub-inspectors Kunwarpal and Krishna Kumar Sharma and constable Rajiv. A preliminary enquiry has been initiated against the three suspended policemen. SP, Rural Area has been asked to probe into the matter,” he added.
A police officer said all three policemen had accompanied the then Chaubeypur station officer Vinay Tiwari in the raid, meant to arrest Dubey following a complaint by local businessman Rahul Tiwari that he was thrashed by the alleged gangster.
Police on Monday did not categorically confirm the authenticity of a letter purportedly written weeks before his death, alleging that Tiwari had diluted the charges against the gangster in one case registered in March. But police said they are investigating the allegations. The letter, as it appears on social media, does not carry a serial number or a date.
“We came to know about the seriousness of the allegations through the media. We will verify these and appropriate action will be taken. Let us understand the entire incident and then we will brief you about the action,” Agarwal said.
