Who was Anuj Pratap Singh? Sultanpur jewel heist suspect dies in STF encounter in Unnao

Opposition parties, SP and Congress criticized these meetings. (Representative image)

Photo: iStock

Unnao: A suspect in the robbery of the Sultan jewelry store has died meeting by the Special Task Force (STF) on Monday in Achalganj area of ​​Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, police said. In an official statement, the police said the STF team was involved in a gunfight with the suspects, resulting in the death of one suspect Anuj Pratap SinghHowever, the other suspects managed to escape.

The robbery took place on August 28 at Bharat Jewellers in Sultanpur, following which a confrontation took place between the Lucknow STF team and the suspects.

Dharmraj Singh’s son Anuj Pratap Singh, a resident of Janapur village in Amethi, was taken to a government hospital for treatment. He was then referred to the district hospital where he was declared dead by doctors.

Unnao Assistant Superintendent of Police (SP), Akhilesh Singh said in a statement, “Today, an encounter took place between the Lucknow STF team and the accused persons involved in the case, in which one accused was injured and the other managed to escape, taking advantage of the situation. The injured accused has been identified as Anuj Pratap Singh. He was shifted to a district hospital, but was declared brought dead by the doctors. Further legal action is being taken.”

This is the second death after another robbery suspect, Mangesh Yadav, was killed during a confrontation between the STF and the suspect in the same robbery case. The UPWARDS Police have arrested one of the suspects, Ajay Yadav, on suspicion of his involvement in the case.

Ajay Yadav, also known as DM, was wanted by the police. During the operation, the Sultanpur police were forced to open fire on him and shot him in the leg. Following these clashes with the Uttar Pradesh police, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government in UP, criticizing them for the increased clashes. He said that “a pattern has emerged.”

SP leader wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “A pattern of encounters has emerged under BJP rule: first pick someone, then concoct a story of a fake encounter, then show fake photos to the world and when the family members tell the truth after the murder, you pressurise them with all kinds of pressure and enticements…”

He added: “The more the BJP tries with its might to prove such meetings as true, the bigger the lie that meeting actually is. The BJP itself conducted the meeting of truth.”

The Congress also criticised the BJP government for the encounters in the state. Rahul Gandhi said in a message on X, “Mangesh Yadav’s encounter in Sultanpur has once again proved that BJP does not believe in ‘rule of law’. Professional forces like STF are being run like ‘criminal gangs’ under the BJP government, the silence of the central government on this is their clear agreement on this ‘thoko policy’. Dozens of UP STF encounters are under discussion. Has any action been taken against any of those officers so far? After all, who is saving them and why. Touching the Constitution in front of the cameras is just a pretext, while your own governments are openly tearing it to shreds.”