Kanpur encounter: Vikas Dubey confuses whether it was a surrender or arrest

New Delhi: The key player of Kanpur encounter gangster Vikas Dubey was arrested by Police from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday. "He was identified by the security personnel while he was going to Ujjain Mahakal temple. Police were informed; he admitted his identity after being pushed for it. He has been in custody of Police and interrogation is under process," says Ashish Singh, Ujjain Collector.

As per the records, Vikas Dubey reached the temple at 8 a.m. and informed about his identity to the security men and asked him to inform the Police. Temple officials confess that Vikas Dubey revealed his name at the counter where he was giving money for donation and then asked to inform the police.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said the police was alerted by the intelligence agencies. A video clip showed Dubey being held by the collar by policemen, shouting, "Haan main Vikas Dubey hoon Kanpur wala" (Yes I am the Vikas Dubey from Kanpur). Dubey in fact, did not use any mask to escape police and neither did he have any arms as weapons are prohibited inside the temple complex. A photograph has gone viral in multiple platforms in which the Kanpur wala sitting on a sofa inside the temple complex.

Speaking on Vikas Dubey arrest, Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra said, "It is a big success for the police department, Vikas Dubey is a cruel killer. Whole Madhya Pradesh police were on alert. He has been arrested from Ujjain's Mahakal temple. We have informed Uttar Pradesh police."

Mishra did not confirm if the 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. He added that Dubey was in state police custody in Ujjain.

"Earlier today, two aides of Dubey were killed in a separate encounter in UP. Kartikeya alias Prabhat was killed in Kanpur when he tried to escape from police, where as Praveen alias Bauwa Dubey was shot dead in an encounter in Etawa," Police officials confirmed.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Sigh Chouhan reacted and said that his government will not spare any criminal. "Those who thought of seeking shelter in Mahakaal, they will be able to wash of their sins, and they never really understood Mahakaal," he tweeted in Hindi.

Samajwadi party leader Akhilesh Yadav demanded that state government should maintain clarity whether it was ana arrest or surrender. Yadav tweeted, "I heard that the main accused of Kanpur case is under police custody. Government should clarify whether it is a surrender or arrest." He also demanded for the CDR of his mobile phone should be made public.

A massive nationwide manhunt was launched following the surprise attack between UP Police and Dubey gang in which 8 cops were killed. The Bahraich police were on their toes at Indo-Nepal border areas amid intelligence inputs that gangster Vikas Dubey may escape to the neighboring country. Officials also said that, "On Wednesday, Haryana Police arrested three assumed partners in crime of Dubey in a raid at Faridabad house, which Dubey left a few hours ago."

Eight Uttar Pradesh Police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police, were killed and seven others injured in a firefight with criminals in Kanpur on the intervening night of July 2 and July 3. Seven others, including a civilian, were injured in the attack from a rooftop on a police team after it entered Bikru village to arrest Vikas Dubey, a history-sheeter who has about 60 criminal cases against him. Five persons have so far been killed in separate police encounters since the Kanpur ambush. Earlier, Amar Dubey was killed in Hamirpur on Wednesday, while Prem Prakash Pandey and Atul Dubey were gunned down in an encounter in Kanpur on July 3.