UP: Suspect in Sultanpur jewellery store robbery killed in STF Encounter in Unnao

Unnao (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 23 (ANI): A suspect accused in the Sultanpur jewellery store robbery case was killed in an encounter with the Special Task Force (STF) in the Achalganj area of Unnao on Monday, the Uttar Pradesh Police said in an official statement.

The STF team engaged in a firefight with suspects, resulting in the death of one suspect Anuj Pratap Singh, while another criminal managed to escape.

Anuj Pratap Singh, son of Dharmraj Singh, a resident of Janapur village in Amethi was transported to a government hospital by an ambulance for treatment, but after initial care, he was referred to the district hospital where he was pronounced dead by doctors.

“On August 28, a robbery took place in Sultanpur’s Bharat Jewellers. Today, an encounter happened between the Lucknow STF team and the accused persons involved in the case, in which one accused was injured and the other one managed to escape, taking advantage of the situation. The injured accused was identified as Anuj Pratap Singh. He was transported to a district hospital but was declared dead by the doctors. Further legal action is being taken,” Unnao Assistant Superintendent of Police, Akhilesh Singh said in an official statement.

The incident follows the death of another robbery suspect, Mangesh Yadav, who was also killed in a confrontation with the STF in the Sultanpur jewellers robbery case. The Uttar Pradesh Police has also arrested a wanted person named Ajay Yadav for his alleged role in Sultanpur robbery case.

Ajay Yadav aka DM was wanted by the police in the sensational robbery incident on August 28 that took place in broad daylight at Bharat Jewellers in Sultanpur. During the operation, the Sultanpur police were forced to open fire on the accused, shooting him in the leg.

Meanwhile, slamming the encounters by the Uttar Pradesh Police, Samajwadi party Chief Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party government in UP and said that a “pattern has been set”.

In a post on X, the SP chief said, “A pattern of encounters has been set under BJP rule: pick someone first, then make up a story of a fake encounter, then show fake pictures to the world, then after the murder, when the family members tell the truth, pressurise them with various kinds of pressure and temptations….”

“…The more the BJP with its forces tries to prove such encounters to be true, the bigger lie that encounter actually is. BJP carried out the encounter of truth itself,” he added.

Congress has also slammed the BJP government over alleged encounters in the state.

“The encounter of Mangesh Yadav in Sultanpur has once again proved that the BJP does not believe in the ‘Rule of Law’. Professional forces like STF are being run like ‘criminal gangs’ under the BJP government, the silence of the Central government on this is their clear agreement on this ‘thoko policy’. Dozens of encounters of UP STF are under question. Has any action been taken against any of those officers till date? After all, who is saving them and why. Touching the Constitution in front of cameras is just a pretence when your own governments are openly tearing it to pieces,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X on September 8.