Wanted criminal with Rs 50K bounty killed in Agra encounter

Agra: A wanted criminal carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 was killed in an encounter during a joint operation by Agra Police and the Noida unit of the UP Special Task Force (STF) in the Ekta police station area of Agra late on Friday. A police head constable sustained a gunshot wound to his hand during the exchange of fire.Police said Pawan alias Kalla, 35, a resident of the Sirauli area in Ghaziabad, was wanted in an extortion case registered at Tajganj police station. "Pawan was a shooter of the notorious Randeep Bhati-Amit Kasana gang identified by the govt. More than 18 cases were registered against him, including four for murder and two for extortion. In 2021, a reward of Rs 1 lakh was declared on him in a murder case, in which he was later jailed in Delhi," DSP (STF) Navendu Kumar said.The DSP said Pawan fired 18-20 rounds during the encounter, while police personnel retaliated with five rounds. He was critically injured in the exchange and rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead.Following the encounter, police recovered a cache of arms and cartridges, including a govt-issued pistol allegedly looted from a police officer in 2016. Officials said Pawan had also come into contact with the Himanshu Bhau gang of Haryana while in jail. After his release last year, he allegedly resumed extortion activities and began making large-scale demands."Along with this gang, he was planning major crimes in Delhi and western UP. A govt pistol looted from a constable in 2016 in the Bisrakh police station area of Gautam Buddh Nagar was also recovered from him. A final report in that case was filed in 2019," police said.