The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Friday said a herd of cows and buffaloes suddenly appeared before the vehicle that was bringing notorious gangster Vikas Dubey to Kanpur, causing the accident following which he tried to escape and was shot dead.
“The herd of cows and buffaloes suddenly came in front of the vehicle and the driver swerved, causing it to overturn,” said a statement released by the UP STF.
Taking advantage of the accident, Vikas Dubey snatched a pistol from the police and attempted to escape, the STF said in its press release.
“Police tried to go close to him [Vikas Dubey] to nab him alive but he continued to fire. Police retaliated in self-defence,” the UP STF said.
Vikas Dubey was killed in an encounter in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh early morning on Friday. The encounter broke out after the police vehicle carrying Vikas Dubey from Ujjain to Kanpur overturned and the gangster attempted to escape.
According to police, Vikas Dubey snatched a police weapon and opened fire at the police but was surrounded.
Vikas Dubey suffered a few bullets shots in the retaliatory fire. He was taken to a Kanpur hospital where doctors declared him dead, police said, adding the history-sheeter was asked to surrender.
Vikas Dubey, the main accused in the ambush and the killing of eight police personnel, was on the run since the July 3 Kanpur encounter. The gangster was arrested from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday after a nearly seven-day hunt.