Gangster Vikas Dubey, wanted in connection with the Kanpur ambush in which eight policemen were killed, was arrested from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday, an official said. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra confirmed the development. He told reporters that Dubey is in the state police's custody in Ujjain.

"It is a big success for the police, Vikas Dubey is a cruel killer. Whole Madhya Pradesh police were on alert. He has been arrested from Ujjain Mahakal temple. We have informed Uttar Pradesh Police," news agency ANI quoted Mishra as saying.

The minister, however, did not confirm if the dreaded gangster, who was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on information leading to his arrest, was nabbed from within or outside the Mahakal temple premises.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath over Dubey's arrest.

"I congratulate MP Police on the arrest of #VikasDubey. I am constantly in touch with UP authorities & have also spoken to UP CM Adityanth. For further probe, he'll be handed over to UP Police. Police of both states working in co-ordination," news agency ANI quoted Chouhan as saying.

Meanwhile, two more aides of Dubey were gunned down in separate encounters in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

#WATCH Madhya Pradesh: Vikas Dubey, the main accused in #KanpurEncounter case, has been arrested in Ujjain pic.twitter.com/pmh5rwl3Z4

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2020

While Kartikeya alias Prabhat was killed in Kanpur when he tried to flee from police custody, another aide of Vikas Dubey, Praveen alias Bauwa Dubey, was shot dead in an encounter in Etawah, they added.

Kartikeya, who was arrested from Faridabad on Wednesday, was being brought to Kanpur on transit remand when he snatched the pistol of a policeman and tried to flee, ADG, Law and Order Prashant Kumar said.

"The encounter took place in the Panki area of Kanpur when a police team was bringing Kartikeya alias Prabhat from Faridabad to Kanpur on transit remand. The police vehicle had a flat tyre. Taking advantage of the situation, Kartikeya tried to flee after snatching the pistol of a policeman," he said.

Kartikeya opened fire at the policemen accompanying him, injuring two Special Task Force (STF) personnel, and was killed in the ensuing exchange of fire, the officer said.

The policemen fired at him "in self-defence", he added.

Kartikeya was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead by the doctors, the ADG said.

Kartikeya, Ankur and Shravan were arrested following a late-night encounter in Faridabad on Wednesday.

The police had recovered four pistols, including two taken away after last week's ambush in Kanpur's Bikru village in which eight policemen were killed, and 44 live cartridges from the trio.

Meanwhile, another associate of Vikas Dubey, wanted in connection with last week's Kanpur ambush, was killed in an encounter in Etawah, the police said.

Eight policemen, including a deputy superintendent of police, were ambushed in Bikru village in the Chaubeypur area of Kanpur, where they had gone to arrest Vikas Dubey and fell to bullets fired from rooftops last Friday.

Five persons have so far been killed in separate police encounters since the Kanpur ambush.

Vikas Dubey, the main accused in #KanpurEncounter case, has been arrested at a police station in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) pic.twitter.com/104s1YX4Pf

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2020

Earlier, Amar Dubey was killed in Hamirpur on Wednesday, while Prem Prakash Pandey and Atul Dubey were gunned down in an encounter in Kanpur on July 3.

The Uttar Pradesh police had announced a Rs 5 lakh reward on Vikas Dubey.

-with inputs from agencies

First Published:Jul 9, 2020 10:04 AM IST