Less than a week after he trapped policemen in an ambush that led to the death of eight cops and injury to seven others on July 3, notorious gangster Vikas Dubey was arrested on Thursday from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.
According to inputs, Vikas Dubey travelled from Uttar Pradesh to Madhya Pradesh using a fake ID. He claimed that his name was ‘Shubham’. Upon arrival at the Mahakal temple in Ujjain, Vikas Dubey told temple security that his name was ‘Shubham’. He then showed them an ID card with the name ‘Naveen Pal’.
It was a flower vendor outside the Ujjain Mahakal temple who reportedly spotted Vikas Dubey when the latter had removed his mask to adjust it. The temple’s caretaker also found him suspicious along with the home guard deployed at the temple who kept a close eye on Vikas Dubey’s movements.
Some reports say that the gangster, accused in over 60 criminal cases, tried to run away after showing temple security a fake ID and attempting to mislead them by claiming that his name was ‘Shubham’.
It was only during questioning by local police that the fugitive revealed his real name. Officers familiar with the arrest said Vikas Dubey had bought a VIP ticket for Rs 250 that allowed him to cut through queues at the Mahakal temple.
MP Police have taken a liquor trader from Ujjain’s Nagjhiri into custody. It is also being reported that the trader, originally from UP’s Chitrakoot, might have played a key role in arranging Vikas Dubey’s commute and stay in Ujjain.
The car he used to travel passed Shivpuri toll plaza at 11 PM on July 7, revealed sources. Ujjain police recovered the same car from Dewas Gate on Thursday.
Vikas Dubey’s brother-in-law was arrested from Burhar in MP’s Shahdol earlier this week. Police are still struggling to establish how the fugitive managed to cross three state borders without being spotted at checkpoints.
The Uttar Pradesh Police launched a manhunt for Vikas Dubey after his men trapped a team of policemen outside his residence in Kanpur’s Bikru village and opened fire at them. Eight cops were slain and another seven suffered severe injuries. Dubey then managed to flee the spot and reportedly hid at an aide’s residence in neighbouring Shivli before escaping to Faridabad in Haryana and later to Ujjain through Kota in Rajasthan where he was finally arrested.
Vikas Dubey has confirmed to the police that sources in the Kanpur Police tipped him off about the encounter, giving him enough time to set up an ambush. SHO of Chaubeypur police station, Vinay Tewari and another policeman has already been arrested on suspicion of warning Dubey beforehand.
The UP Police have boarded a chartered plane to bring Vikas Dubey back to the state on transit remand.
