5 Questions On Vikas Dubey's Dramatic Encounter That Remain Unanswered

Gangster Vikas Dubey, the main accused in the cold-blooded murder of eight cops in Kanpur's Bikru last week, was killed in an encounter on Friday morning while he tried to escape after a road accident, the Uttar Pradesh police said on July 10.

Vikas Dubey had escaped after killing 8 cops in an encounter that broke out when the police raided his residence last week. A search operation was then launched across states to nab the criminal who is charged with 60 criminal cases. He was finally taken into police custody in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain after he was spotted at the famous Mahakal temple on July 9.

Dubey was killed on Friday morning while being taken to Kanpur from Ujjain, the police said. Just an hour short of Kanpur, the car in which the gangster was being taken overturned on the rain-slicked highway and he tried to escape, the police said. The criminal snatched the gun of a policeman and tried to run away with it when he was shot.

"Vikas Dubey was injured and taken to hospital. He died during treatment," the police said in a statement.

However, a number of facts emerging on the ground have raised questions on the theory propounded by the police.

Hours before the encounter, a video at a toll plaza at 4 AM showed Dubey in a different car from the one that overturned.

Several other videos and witness accounts have surfaced questioning the veracity of the dramatic encounter that occurred in the wee hours in Kanpur. The encounter has been termed 'staged' and 'fake'. Some even called it predictable and more like a Bollywood film's plot.

The death of the most wanted criminal with a strong political association has left the following questions unanswered:

1. Why was the car in which Dubey was being taken to UP changed at the last moment before he tried to flee?

2. Why were the reporters who were following the police convoy with Dubey stopped 2 km from the site of the accident?

3. Several locals and eyewitnesses claimed that they heard gunshots but were asked by the police to leave. What was the police trying to conceal?

4. Why was the barbaric criminal not handcuffed? If he was, how did he manage to steal a gun from the cops and try to run?

5. Who benefits from Dubey's death and how big was the political nexus that was at risk of getting exposed?

Dubey, in his 50s, had over 60 criminal cases against him, including murder, kidnapping and extortion. His alleged links with politicians helped him resist years all these years.

A petition was filed on the night of July 9 at the Supreme Court asking for protection of the notorious criminal Vikas Dubey, fearing his possible encounter and asking for a CBI probe into recent encounters.

Also Read: Vikas Dubey Shot Dead In Encounter As He Tried To Escape: Cops