Report by Rakshit Josain | Editor
UP- Firozabad: A major police encounter took place in Firozabad on Sunday night around 8 PM, in which notorious gangster Naresh Pandit alias Pankaj (38) was shot dead.
Acting on a tip-off, the police traced Naresh and his associates near the Banipur area. When the police team signaled him to stop, Naresh opened fire. In retaliation, the police also fired back, and Naresh was critically injured. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
During the exchange of fire, ASP (Rural) Anuj Chaudhary narrowly escaped injury. Naresh was wanted in several criminal cases and was reportedly the mastermind behind a ₹2 crore highway robbery. Senior police officials reached the spot soon after the encounter, and additional forces were deployed to maintain law and order.
From the encounter site, police recovered a pistol, cartridges, and a bag containing cash. A large-scale search operation was launched in nearby areas to trace his accomplices. Police officials said Naresh carried a cash reward on his arrest and had been absconding for a long time. The encounter is being seen as a major success for Firozabad police in their ongoing crackdown on organized crime.
