256 criminals gunned down in encounters in 8.5 yrs in UP | Lucknow News
Lucknow: UP Police has intensified its crackdown on criminals as part of govt’s Mission Shakti 5.0 initiative. In the past 20 days, several notorious criminals were either gunned down or arrested in over a dozen encounters in the state.Over the past 8.5 years, 256 hardened criminals have been eliminated, 31,960 criminals arrested and 10,324 injured in 15,726 encounters in the state. A total of 18 police personnel were martyred and 1,754 injured in these encounters.A wanted gangster Shehzad alias Nikki, who carried a Rs 25,000 reward, was gunned down in Meerut on Monday. Earlier, criminals who fired outside actor Disha Patani’s residence in Bareilly were gunned down in an encounter. The renewed crackdown forms part of a sustained campaign launched under Mission Shakti 5.0 to ensure safety, especially for women and vulnerable groups, and to strengthen public confidence in law enforcement, said a senior officer in the DGP headquarters in Lucknow.DIG, Saharanpur Range, Abhishek Singh told TOI, “We follow a Zero Tolerance policy against crime. In the past two weeks, UP STF and district police teams neutralised four dreaded criminals in separate encounters in Saharanpur Range.” He added that wanted gangsters such as Shehzad Pathan of Muzaffarnagar, Naeem Qureshi, Mehtab, and Imran were killed in operations by Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, and Saharanpur police.A total of 207 operations were conducted in these districts, leaving 33 criminals injured and two arrested, the DIG said. DCP, West Zone in Lucknow, Vishwajeet Srivastava, who was recently part of the encounter of notorious criminal Guru Sevak in Lucknow, told TOI that the criminals who try to engage with police and disturb peace will be met with similar action. Since the Yogi govt took office in 2017, the state police maintained a strict stance against organised crime and repeat offenders, said a senior police officer.Meerut tops in zone-wise encounters: The Meerut Zone leads the state in encounter operations, recording 4,453 encounters, 8,312 arrests, 3,131 injuries, and 85 eliminations. Two police personnel were martyred and 461 injured during these operations. The Varanasi Zone is second with 1,108 encounters, 2,128 arrests, 27 criminals killed, and 688 injured, while Agra Zone is third with 2,374 encounters, 5,631 arrests, 22 criminals killed, and 816 injured.Citizens safe, criminals on the run: Following CM Yogi’s doctrine — “A criminal will either be in jail or out of the state” — the ongoing drive has created a visible deterrence against crime. The intensified operations forced many notorious gangsters and repeat offenders to flee Uttar Pradesh. Beyond encounter operations, the police have invoked the Gangster Act, seized properties of mafia and imposed the National Security Act in sensitive cases. These measures aim to dismantle criminal networks and cut off their financial support systems.The Mission Shakti 5.0 campaign underscores the Yogi govt’s determination to sustain law and order through swift and decisive policing. Officials say the state’s law enforcement record over the past eight years not only yielded statistical success but also restored faith in the rule of law. With criminal activities shrinking and the state’s image improving, Uttar Pradesh continues to strengthen its identity as a safe and fear-free state.
