STF foils trader's killing bid in Bulandshahr, 3 held after gunfight

Two alleged contract killers were among three men held after an encounter with the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police which foiled the trio's plan to kill a Bulandshahr-based businessman, officials said on Tuesday.

The gunfight took place late on Monday night on Navdurga road near Hindustan Petrol Pump in Khurjanagar, Bulandshahr, where the trio was intercepted by the Noida field unit of the STF, the officials said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, STF, Raj Kumar Mishra said the key accused Surya Pratap Singh, 28, with a criminal history, had a property dispute with a Kanpur-based woman.

"The woman had recently given the power of attorney of the property to the target, the Bulandshahr-based businessman. Due to his property feud, Singh wanted this businessman eliminated," Mishra said.

Singh had approached Sachin Kumar, 35, whom he had come in contact with during a jail term last year, for the job and offered him Rs 15 lakh to kill the businessman, the officer said.

"Sachin roped in his friend Raju Singh, around 35, for the job and the trio had gathered at a house in Bulandshahr on Monday night along with firearms and ammunition to proceed with their plan, which got foiled by the STF's timely action," Mishra said.

"We had reached the house based on a credible information and sealed the area. A gunfight broke out but nobody was injured and the accused taken into custody," he added.

Three firearms and the ammunition were seized from the spot, the STF said, adding a case has been registered in Bulandshahr while the accused have been sent to jail and further proceedings are being done by the local police.