The most hyped manhunt carried out by the cops of Uttar Pradesh police in last six days finally culminated in a dramatic climax when gangster Vikas Dubey surrendered in the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain on Thursday morning.
According to reports, the gangster told the police that he wanted to burn the bodies of the slain cops to destroy evidence. However, he did not have enough time to do so.
His arrest in Mahakaal temple premises sparked debate whether he surrendered for fear of being killed.
Dubey travelled 1,500 kilometers from Faridabad to Ujjan within 24 hours for a tryst with the Mahakal and his destiny.”Main Vikas Dubey hun, Kanpur wala (I am Vikas Dubey from Kanpur),” screamed the Uttar Pradesh gangster. This reportedly alerted security guards at the Ujjain temple who informed the police.
As policemen walked him towards a police car, Vikas Dubey shouted again, “Main Vikas Dubey hun, Kanpur wala”. ADG Law and Order, Prashant Kumar confirmed the development and claimed that the STF team was immediately dispatched to Ujjain to take custody of Dubey.”Vikas Dubey was going to Ujjain Mahakal temple when he was identified by security personnel. Police were informed, he confessed his identity after being pushed for it. He has been apprehended by the police and interrogation is underway,” Ashish Singh, Ujjain Collector told mediapersons.
Singh said Vikas Dubey initially refused to reveal his identity. He also showed a PAN card carrying the name of one Shubham. He produced more Identity Cards, as per which he was 28 years of age. An argument followed, but by then the police arrived and took him into custody. There were two more people with Dubey, who have also been arrested.
Security cameras installed inside the temple premises caught Dubey making an appearance at the Mahakal temple at around 8.50 am. Dubey then went to a shop located outside the temple and asked how a ticket could be purchased and enquired about darshan at the temple. The owner of the shop identified Dubey.
The man claimed that when Dubey approached him, he was not wearing a mask and was calling for a person named Bunty. The temple shop owner then informed a guard at the Mahakal temple.
By then, Dubey had already purchased a darshan ticket and entered the temple. Dubey has been on the run for almost a week, ever since the ambush and killing of eight police personnel in Kanpur. As police searched for him in Haryana, Delhi, a close watch was kept on the Indo-Nepal border.
A photograph that has gone viral, shows Dubey sitting comfortably on a sofa inside the temple complex in Ujjain soon after his arrest. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra first confirmed the development. He told reporters that Dubey is in the State police’s custody in Ujjain.
The Minister, however, did not confirm if the dreaded gangster, who was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on information leading to his arrest, was nabbed from within or outside the Mahakal temple premises. Later, Dubey was whisked away to an unidentified location for medical examination and questioning.
Meanwhile, two more aides of Dubey were gunned down in separate encounters in Uttar Pradesh.
While Kartikeya alias Prabhat was killed in Kanpur when he tried to flee from police custody, Praveen alias Bauwa Dubey was shot dead in an encounter in Etawah, the police said.
