Gangster wanter for heists in India, Nepal held in UP after gunfight

A notorious criminal, wanted for carrying out daring heists in India and Nepal, and four of his associates were arrested here following an encounter with the Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police, officials said today.

Avinash Chandra Tripathi carried a reward of Rs 50,000 on information leading to his arrest, officials said today.

The gangster and his aides were cornered by a STF team near Jubilee College about 11.30 pm yesterday and arrested after a shoot out, they said.

Giving details, they claimed Avinash Chandra Tripathi escaped from police custody in 2014 in Lucknow and was involved in a case of Rs 1 crore loot in Maharashtra the same year, a Rs 60 lakh loot from a jeweller in Vadodara in Gujarat in 2015 and a two kg gold loot in Ghangadi in Nepal last year.

Others arrested were identified as - Shamsher Singh, Santosh Kumar, Rahul Tripathi and Vishal Tripathi, they said.

A pistol, a number of cartridges, two diamonds and a gold necklace and a SUV were recovered from their possession, the STF officials claimed.