The main accused wanted in the murder of a Pilibhit trader Pappu Gupta, was killed in a police encounter near Sheetalpur village in Pilibhit district on Saturday night.
The accused identified as 23-year-old Shivam alias Sarvjeet Singh carried a cumulative bounty of ₹1.75 lakh.
Pilibhit superintendent of police Sukirti Madhav Mishra said police received a tip-off that Shivam was hiding near Sheetalpur village along with an associate. A police team launched a raid around 10 pm. While attempting to flee, his accomplice escaped, but Shivam, finding himself surrounded, allegedly opened indiscriminate fire on the police team.
In retaliatory firing Shivam sustained two bullet injuries to the chest. He was rushed to a nearby government hospital and later referred to a higher medical centre due to his critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The encounter took place within the limits of Bilsanda police station.
According to police, Shivam was the prime accused in the May 28 murder of trader Pappu Gupta. Investigators said cycle trader Pankaj Katiyar of Bilsanda had an ongoing dispute with his father-in-law, Ramesh Chandra, a resident of Shahjahanpur. Police alleged that Ramesh Chandra hired Shivam, a resident of Uchaulia in Lakhimpur Kheri, for ₹20,000 to threaten and attack Katiyar.
On May 28, Shivam and his associates allegedly confronted Katiyar outside his shop in Bilsanda market. As an argument escalated, neighbouring trader Pappu Gupta intervened to defuse the situation. During the ensuing scuffle, the assailants allegedly opened fire, killing Gupta on the spot.
The following day, police registered an FIR on Katiyar’s complaint against Ramesh Chandra, his sons Vineet and Sitesh, Lucky, Sanjay, Sitaram Rathore, Sumit and unidentified persons.
Within 24 hours of the murder, police arrested alleged shooter Lucky after an encounter. During interrogation, Lucky identified Shivam as a key conspirator.
Police said Ramesh Chandra also admitted during questioning that he had hired Shivam to carry out the attack, following which Shivam was formally named in the case and remained absconding.
Police recovered a .32 bore semi-automatic pistol, a .315 bore country-made firearm and a large quantity of ammunition from his possession.
Police records show Shivam was wanted in 12 criminal cases, including two murder cases, registered in Lakhimpur Kheri and neighbouring districts. He carried rewards of ₹25,000 announced by the SP, ₹50,000 by the DIG and ₹1 lakh by the ADG, taking the total bounty on him to ₹1.75 lakh.
