Murder convict who fled jail 11 years ago held after encounter in Noida

A murder convict, who fled police custody in 2008 from Allahabad, was arrested on Wednesday night following an encounter with a joint team of the Noida police and the Special Task Force (STF) in the city, officials said.

The encounter broke out near a petrol pump in Sector 54 around 10.30 pm, in which Mehar Gani, alias Meharban Singh, alias Bunty, who is in his late 30s, got injured, they said.

"The accused was on a motorcycle when he was intercepted by the joint team of STF and Sector 24 police station and he opened fire on them. He got injured in the retaliatory firing and was apprehended," a police spokesperson said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, STF, Raj Kumar Mishra said Mehar Gani was sentenced to life term in jail by a court in Uttar Pradesh for killing a child in 2005.

He had attempted to flee from custody in 2005 from Mutthiganj in Allahabad and managed to escape from prison in 2008, after which a reward of Rs 50,000 was also announced on his arrest, Mishra said.

The accused has been sent for medical treatment and further proceedings are underway in the case, the police said.