35 Police Encounters in 48 Hours Across Uttar Pradesh Leave 3 Dead, 35 Injured; Muzaffarnagar Records Highest Shootouts

A wave of police encounters swept across Uttar Pradesh over the last 48 hours, with official records showing at least 35 separate shootouts across multiple districts.

Three accused persons were killed, while 35 others sustained bullet injuries, most of them reportedly shot in the leg during exchanges of fire with police teams.

According to police officials, the encounters followed a similar pattern in most cases. Officers claimed the accused attempted to flee after opening fire on police teams, forcing personnel to retaliate.

Many of the injured suspects were later arrested and admitted to hospitals under police custody.

The encounters were reported from several districts, including Muzaffarnagar, Hardoi, Mathura, Bareilly, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Rae Bareli, Lakhimpur Kheri, Etawah, Gonda, Shamli, Kaushambi, Amroha and Mau, among others.

Muzaffarnagar alone accounted for seven encounters in which 10 accused persons were injured. Hardoi, Jaunpur, Varanasi, Bareilly, Rae Bareli and Lakhimpur Kheri each reported two encounters during the period.

Police records also show that nearly 20 accused were arrested without injuries, while four police personnel sustained injuries during separate operations. Officials said all injured policemen are stable.

One of the most serious encounters took place in Mathura, where police shot dead two alleged members of the notorious Bawaria gang.

The accused were wanted in connection with a robbery case reported last month in which a family was allegedly held hostage while cash, jewellery and valuables were looted.

According to police, teams acted on intelligence inputs and attempted to intercept the suspects. Officials claimed the accused opened fire while trying to escape, prompting retaliatory firing from the police side.

Both accused — identified as Pappu alias Rajendra and Dharmveer alias Lambu, residents of Rajasthan — were critically injured in the exchange of fire and later declared dead at the hospital.

Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar said both men carried cash rewards of Rs 50,000 each and were involved in criminal activities across multiple states while operating under different identities.

Police records showed that Pappu was wanted in 11 criminal cases, while Dharmveer had 16 cases registered against him.

Investigators said they had also obtained videos allegedly showing the duo’s involvement in crimes committed in different parts of the country.

In another major development, police in Hardoi shot dead a man accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering a seven-year-old boy last week.

The accused, identified as Menoor alias Mehnuddin from neighbouring Kannauj, was described by police as a history-sheeter with nearly a dozen criminal cases registered against him.

Hardoi Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Meena said the accused had been absconding since the incident, following which police announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Police claimed the accused was cornered on Wednesday morning while travelling on a motorcycle.

On seeing the police team, he allegedly opened fire in an attempt to flee. Police retaliated, injuring the accused, who was later declared dead at the hospital.

During the encounter, a sub-inspector also suffered a bullet injury to his hand.

In Fatehpur, police arrested a man carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh after an encounter in the Khaga area.

The accused, Bablu Singraur, 29, allegedly sustained a bullet injury to the leg during the operation.

Police said Bablu was wanted in connection with cases involving gangrape, extortion and offences under the Information Technology Act. Officials stated that at least five criminal cases were registered against him.

Meanwhile, a series of encounters in Muzaffarnagar kept police teams busy through the night.

In the Nai Mandi area, officers claimed to have solved a mobile phone snatching case after arresting two accused — Amar and Guddu — following an armed encounter. Police said they recovered illegal weapons and a motorcycle allegedly used in the crime.

In another operation in the same locality, police arrested two more suspects, Abhishek and Sagar, in connection with another mobile phone theft case.

Police also arrested Salman alias Shehzad, a 22-year-old wanted by the Punjab Police in a theft case. Officials said Salman sustained a leg injury during an exchange of fire in Nai Mandi.

Police records show he has four criminal cases registered against him between 2017 and 2022.

Another accused, Shivam alias Mota from Saharanpur, was arrested in the Kotwali area in connection with a dacoity case.

Police said the accused carried a reward of Rs 20,000 and suffered a bullet injury to the leg during the encounter. Stolen jewellery was also allegedly recovered from him.

In the Budhana area, police arrested Shah Rukh Pathan, 27, who was wanted in a dacoity case and carried a reward of Rs 20,000. Officials said he, to,o suffered a leg injury during the exchange of fire.

Police records show nine criminal cases, including attempted murder, are registered against him.

In another operation in Mansoorpur, police claimed to have cracked an iPhone snatching case within six hours.

According to officials, officers tracked three suspects and attempted to stop them, but the accused allegedly fired at police and tried to escape on a motorcycle.

Police returned fire and arrested two suspects, identified as Shanky and Manish, both of whom suffered bullet injuries to the leg. A third accused managed to flee.

Officials said both arrested men have two criminal cases each against them.

Police also arrested Khushna alias Khushnaseeb, another Muzaffarnagar resident wanted by the Punjab Police in a theft case.

He was reportedly injured in the leg during an encounter. Authorities said eight criminal cases are registered against him.

The sharp rise in encounters across Uttar Pradesh within just two days has once again brought focus on the state police’s aggressive anti-crime operations, which continue to draw both support and criticism in equal measure.