PILIBHIT: A contract killer carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh and wanted in connection with the murder of a cloth merchant in Pilibhit’s Bilsanda town was killed in a police encounter late Saturday night, officials said.The encounter took place around 10 pm on the Bilsanda-Banda road under Bilsanda police station limits during a joint checking drive by the Special Operations Group (SOG) and police teams from three stations after they received information about the accused’s movement in the area.SP Sukirti Madhav said on Sunday that police teams became suspicious after spotting a speeding motorcycle approaching from the Banda side. Before officers could stop the riders, the bike allegedly took a sudden U-turn and sped away.“During the chase, the accused opened fire at the police team, injuring SOG sub-inspector Umesh Gautam and constable Harendra Singh of Bilsanda police station. In retaliatory firing, one of the riders sustained a bullet injury to the chest and collapsed, while the second accused managed to escape in the darkness,” the SP said.The injured man was identified as Sarvjeet alias Shivam (23), a resident of the Uchaulia police station area in Lakhimpur Kheri district. He was taken to a govt hospital, where doctors declared him dead.Police said Sarvjeet was allegedly involved in the May 28 murder of cloth merchant Pappu Gupta in Bilsanda town. According to the SP, Sarvjeet had allegedly accepted a contract worth Rs 20,000 from Shahjahanpur resident Ramesh Chandra to eliminate his son-in-law, cycle trader Pankaj Katiyar, following a dowry-related dispute.Police said Sarvjeet and his associates attacked Pankaj at his shop, during which neighbour Pappu Gupta intervened to rescue him. One of the miscreants allegedly shot Gupta in the chest. He later died during treatment at a hospital in Bareilly.The SP said eight accused in the murder case had already been arrested, including four during earlier encounters, while Sarvjeet had remained absconding.Police recovered a . 32 bore semi-automatic pistol, a . 315 bore country-made pistol, live cartridges and empty shells from the spot. The motorcycle used by the accused did not have a registration plate.Officials said Sarvjeet had around 10 criminal cases registered against him, mostly in Lakhimpur Kheri district.
