Within a day of the police bumping off four criminals in alleged encounters in west Uttar Pradesh, unidentified gunmen opened fire at a police van carrying two dozen criminals in Sambhal and managed to free three aides while killing two cops besides looting a rifle. 

Senior officers rushed to the spot to oversee investigation and a hunt was launched to nab the assailants and the criminals freed. 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh each to the kin of the two police constables killed by undertrial criminals in Sambhal on Wednesday. 

State government spokesperson said on Wednesday night that the Chief Minister expressed his deepest condolences on the death of the two police personnel in Sambhal and directed the department to provide compensation of Rs 50 lakh each to their families along with a government job to one dependent and extraordinary pension to the widows of the deceased.

A total of 24 criminals lodged in Moradabad district jail were brought to Sambhal district court in Chandausi on Wednesday morning. After producing them in courts, they were being taken to the jail in a police van. As the vehicle neared Dhannuman trisection under Baniyather police station, the van driver stopped the vehicle after hearing gun shots. As he went back to inspect, he discovered that two constables deployed for security of the undertrials were lying in pools of blood and the rifle of one of them was missing. The driver also found three criminals missing from the van. 

He later informed Police Control Room after which senior officers rushed to the spot and shifted the cops to district hospital where they were pronounced dead upon arrival. 

The driver failed to explain whether someone fired from outside or the criminals who fled the van got weapons in the court and used them to kill the constables. 

Superintendent of Police of Sambhal, Yamuna Prasad, confirmed the death of constables Brijpal and Harendra and claimed that the ongoing combing operation would lead to the arrest of the accused.

Beside Sambhal, police teams from neighbouring districts were engaged in combing operations. Sleuths of Special Task Force (West Zone) have also been deputed to help the local police in arresting the criminals. IG (STF) Amitabh Tash has rushed to Sambhal.