Police Encounter in Unnao: Second Accused in Sultanpur Jewellery Heist Killed

The Uttar Pradesh Police killed a second accused in the Sultanpur jewellery store robbery during a pre-dawn encounter in Unnao district. The gunfight involved the accused Anuj Pratap Singh and the Lucknow STF. This follows the earlier encounter that killed another accused, sparking political controversy.

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday reported the killing of a second suspect linked to the Sultanpur jewellery store robbery in a pre-dawn encounter in Unnao district. The altercation between accused Anuj Pratap Singh and the Special Task Force (STF) from Lucknow occurred around 4 am in the Achalganj area, authorities confirmed.

On August 28, jewellery worth an estimated Rs 1.5 crore was stolen from a store in Sultanpur's Thatheri market area. The STF had already killed another suspect, Mangesh Yadav, on September 5, which ignited a political controversy with parties like the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress labeling the encounter as 'fake'.

SP chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the actions were motivated by the accused's caste, a charge the state police firmly denied. Additional Director General of Police Amitabh Yash informed that the STF team exchanged fire with the suspects involved in the Sultanpur robbery, resulting in Singh's injury. Singh later died at the district hospital.

(With inputs from agencies.)