The TLDR: The first attempt to arrest Vikas Dubey—a very big badman from Kanpur—went disastrously wrong, ending in the death of eight policemen. The six-day manhunt ended in his arrest, which was surprisingly (and suspiciously) uneventful… until Dubey was shot dead on his way back to Uttar Pradesh. We take a closer look at a story that would put ‘Paatal Lok’ to shame.
Dubey’s criminal career spans 30 years and 62 cases—of which five are of murder and eight of attempted murder.
Point to note: Killing a prominent politician did wonders for Dubey’s political connections: “Vikas became a big name in the criminal world. He had support from almost every political party that's why no one could even touch him for 20 years.” And people say crime doesn’t pay. And that included the BJP, according to Shukla’s brother Manoj: "When my brother was murdered even that time Vikas had the support of some leaders of our own party, (but) it is not right to take their names.”
Yes, because he stole some money from a businessman. Four dozen policemen went to Dubey’s house in his village to arrest him—which ended in the bloody deaths of eight policemen. Some official sources claim that he severed the neck of the policeman leading the party with an axe.
That’s where things get murky and Paatal Lok-ish:
Point to note: In the end, Dubey escaped on a bicycle.
Here’s what happened next:
The arrest: During this drama, Dubey took a 1,400 km road trip—which took him first to Faridabad, and then on to his final destination: the Mahakal temple in Madhya Pradesh. The famous temple, btw, offers blessings to those who fear death 🙄. Now, the police insist that they took him by surprise—acting on a tip from a flower-seller outside the temple. But here’s what eyewitnesses say:
Soooo, maybe not. Point to note: Dubey continued to shout out his name as he was taken away—in front of TV cameras! And he got a little thappad for doing it. See video below:
The official story is as follows:
“Just an hour short of Kanpur, the car in which Vikas Dubey was being taken overturned on the highway that was slick with rain and he tried to escape after snatching a gun, according to the police. He was shot dead…”
Important to note: As of December 2019, the Uttar Pradesh police force has been involved in 5,178 encounters, leaving 103 people dead.
The bottomline: Various party leaders are now playing the ‘name Dubey’s bestie’ game in UP. The most likely answer: each and every one of them.
The Telegraph has the most details on his arrest. The Wire has a must-read analysis of the first botched arrest by a former Director General of Police. Newsclick's deep dive looks at Dubey in the context of the scary rise of rural gangs—which get little attention in the English media. New Indian Express has a good piece on how political patronage was critical to Dubey’s rise.
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