Index Page                                Archives

Dacoit Nirbhay Gujjar killed in encounter

     Auriya (Uttar Pradesh): Dreaded dacoit Nirbhay Gujjar, who was operating from the ravines of central India and was involved in over 200 cases, was gunned down by a Special Task Force (STF) in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh on Monday night. Police said the encounter took place in the state's remote Sundrapur village. Nirbhay Gujjar carried a cash reward of Rs 2.5 lakh (5555 dollars) on his head. Gujjar was active in seven districts of Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh for almost a decade. Rizwan Ahmed, Inspector General of Police, Kanpur, said the operation against 47-year-old Nirbhay lasted for over an hour and his body was recovered alongwith two 303 rifles. "Everybody is happy that this dacoit has been gunned down. There is only one dacoit group which is now active, i.e., Jagjivan Parihar and we are confident of wiping him out soon," said Ahmed. We were very scared of Nirbhay Gujjar. Many residents had left their villages as they were too scared of the dacoit. We are very happy.It will be peaceful again in this area," said Ram Kripal, a resident In recent times the STF had been successful in cutting down Nirbhay Gang's strength from 72 to six, killing a majority of his accomplices in encounters. Police have launched a combing operation in the entire area to hunt for his associates.