Sitapur (UP), Aug 7 (PTI) Two criminals wanted in the murder case of a journalist were killed in an encounter with a joint team of the Special Task Force (STF) and the local police here on Thursday.
The two were also involved in other criminal cases.
Police received intelligence inputs suggesting that the two criminals wanted in the murder case of journalist Raghvendra Bajpai were planning to cross the Hardoi-Sitapur border, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ankur Agarwal said in a statement.
Acting on the tip-off, a joint team of the STF and Sitapur police launched checking and combing operations in the Pisawan police station area and spotted the two accused -- Raju Tiwari alias Rizwan and Sanjay Tiwari -- on a motorcycle, he said.
When asked to stop, the duo opened fire at the police team. In retaliatory firing, the two were killed, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said.
The two criminals were wanted in the murder case of journalist Raghvendra Bajpai and a reward of Rs 1 lakh each had been announced for their arrests, the officer said.
Bajpai (36), a resident of Vikasnagar in the Maholi area here, was shot dead on March 8 near the Hempur railway overbridge on the Lucknow-Delhi National Highway while he was heading to Sitapur on a motorcycle.
Police said Raju killed Sub-Inspector Parvez Ali in Lakhimpur in 2006 and looted his service pistol. Sanjay killed a woman in Sitapur in 2011.