Kanpur : An anti-dacoity court here sentenced Shyamu Bajpai, convicted of attempted murder, to five years’ imprisonment in a case related to the Birku ambush in which eight policemen were killed by gangster Vikas Dubey and his gang in the Chaubeypur area of Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur on July 3, 2020.Bajpai was also fined Rs 5,000. If he defaults on paying the fine, he will have to spend additional time in prison.
Bajpai, Dubey’s aide, wanted in the Bikru ambush case, was arrested on July 7, 2020 . Later, when he was taken to the Shivli jungles to help the police recover firearms, he tried to escape and shot at the police using a recovered pistol. The police returned fire, shooting Bajpai in the leg after which he was arrested.
“The sentence pertains to the same murderous attack. In the retaliatory action, the criminal, Shyamu Bajpai, was injured. A .315 pistol and several live cartridges of the same bore were recovered from him. “He was wanted under sections of the Criminal Law Amendment Act and Sec 3/25 of Arms Act with regard to the Bikru shootout,” the police officer.
It may be recalled, a case of robbery and attempt to murder was registered against gangster Vikas Dubey, a resident of Bikru village in Chaubepur. In the early hours of July 3, 2020, the police raided Bikru village to arrest him.
However, Dubey and more than four dozen members of his gang attacked and killed eight policemen, including a DSP. Later, the police killed six accused, including Dubey and his nephew Amar Dubey, in back-to-back encounters.
Vikas Dubey was killed on July 10 when he tried to flee from police custody while being brought from Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain to Kanpur.
According to public prosecutor Raju Porwal, the testimonies of witnesses and forensic report played a crucial role in securing the conviction of Bajpai. He added that forensic experts had taken nitrite residues off the hand of Shyamu Bajpai in the hospital.
Notably, sodium nitrate is released from a firearm when it is fired. The nitrite residues remain on the body of the person, who takes the shot, for about 72 hours.
Porwal said the anti-dacoity court accepted nitrate residue as strong evidence that was backed by testimonies. It is worth mentioning that Shyamu is one of the 44 accused in the main case, which deals with murders of eight policemen. Meanwhile, 33 related cases remain pending in the Kanpur Dehat court.
–IANS