Vikas Dubey

Born/Date of Birth: 1964
Place of Birth: Bikaru, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died: 10 July 2020 (aged 56), Kanpur
Nationality: Indian
Other names: Vikas Pandit
Criminal status: Killed in encounter
Criminal charge: Murder, robbery, kidnapping, illegal land acquisition, criminal intimidation
Vikas Dubey (1964 — 10 July 2020) was an Indian history-sheeter, gangster-turned-politician, based in Kanpur Dehat district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The first criminal case against him was registered in the early 1990s, and by 2020 he had over 60 criminal cases against his name. As of July 2020, he was connected to the killing of a Minister of State, inside a police station, and in another incident was the main accused in the killing of eight policemen during an attempted arrest. Uttar Pradesh Police declared him an absconder with a bounty of ₹5 lakh before he was finally arrested on 9 July 2020 near Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple in Ujjain. He was killed on 10 July 2020 in an encounter after the vehicle carrying him met with an accident.

Media reports state that because of his political connections, Vikas Dubey has been acquitted for most of his murders, despite the presence of multiple witnesses at the scenes.

Early life
Vikas Dubey was a resident of a village Bikaru, Chaubepur block, Uttar Pradesh. In his youth, he formed his own gang. He was responsible for numerous criminal activities, including murder and "land grabbing". The first case against him was lodged in 1990 for murder. Dubey soon became one of the most wanted criminals in Kanpur. He was associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Harikishan Srivastava, who was in the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Dubey, too, joined the BSP in 1995-96 and won elections at the district level, by allegedly employing force. His wife, Richa Dubey, has also won elections of local bodies. Dubey was the primary accused in the 2001 killing of BJP leader Santosh Shukla, who was then a Minister of State, in the Shivli police station. Dubey has been previously arrested but has later been acquitted due to alleged political pressure. Dubey was known to go by the name Vikas Pandit, naming himself after the titular character of the 1999 film Arjun Pandit. He was known to be alternatively referred to by this name, or simply as Pandit.

July 2020 encounter
On 3 July 2020, during an attempt to arrest Dubey and his men, eight policemen were killed, including a Deputy superintendent of police (DSP), while seven police personnel were left injured. Two gunmen, identified as a maternal uncle and another close relative of Dubey, were also killed in the gunfight. The autopsy report revealed that the DSP was brutally murdered, while other cops had multiple bullet wounds fired from different weapons, suggesting an ambush. The police later recovered weapons, including an AK-47 rifle and an INSAS rifle, among others. The IGP of Kanpur said that at least 60 men had ambushed the police team, who were just 30 in number. Call records showed that Dubey was in contact with multiple cops, who leaked information to him. Following this, the Kanpur administration bulldozed his house with the same bulldozer that had been used by Dubey and his men during the ambush. 25 police teams were then formed to arrest Dubey and his associates.

Arrest and death
Dubey was arrested in 2017, the Government of Uttar Pradesh had booked him under the Gangsters Act and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act and chargesheeted him in 2019. He challenged this in HC and secured an order of no coercive action against him.

Dubey was apprehended on 9 July 2020 at Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. He is reported to have shouted his name while being arrested. He feared being killed in a similar manner as his accomplices.

On July 10, the vehicle carrying Dubey was involved in a road accident and overturned. Dubey allegedly snatched a pistol from a policeman trying to fix a flat Tyre and tried to run away, before being killed by UP police. Petition filed in the Supreme Court last night had asked for security for the gangster and a CBI investigation into a series of encounter killings.