Bounty on Vikas Dubey, wanted in killing of 8 policemen, increased to ₹2.5 lakh

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday further increased the prize money for the arrest of dreaded criminal Vikas Dubey, who headed the gang which shot dead eight policemen who came to arrest him.

The prize money has been increased to Rs 2.5 lakh, news agency ANI quoted Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Hitesh Chandra Awasthy as saying. The prize money was increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh on Sunday for the arrest of Dubey, who has been on the run since the killing of the policemen near his home in Bikru village in Kanpur rural late on Thursday night.

Fifty dedicated teams and over 3,000 police personnel across the state have been deployed in a massive manhunt to nab the gangster.

DGP Awasthy had said that an alert has been sounded in all 75 districts of the state for the arrest of Dubey and the search for the gangster intensified.

His photo was put up at Unnao toll plaza on Monday by the police.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from Dubey’s house after it was demolished on Sunday.

The police are also probing how did Dubey get the information about the police raid. At least 30 cops are being investigated for their links with the gangster.

Meanwhile, three more policemen have been suspended after investigation revealed that they were in regular touch with Dubey. The suspended policemen include two sub-inspectors and a constable.

News agency PTI reported SSP as saying that an FIR will be lodged against these policemen. Their role was confirmed in the in-house investigation conducted by the force, officials said.

The call records of these cops were checked to arrive at the conclusion that they were speaking to the gangster regularly. The process to terminate them from service will also begin, senior officials said.

Before this, Chaubeypur’s station officer (SO) Vinay Tiwari was suspended and shifted to Lucknow on Saturday.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had earlier announced Rs 1 crore each ex-gratia for the families of the policemen who were killed in Bikru village.