Aditya Rana alias Ravi, an absconding criminal carrying a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh, was shot dead in a police encounter on Budhanpur road in Seohara police station area of Bijnor in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Half a dozen policemen were injured in the encounter. All the injured were admitted to the community health centre in Seohara.

Rana, of Rana Nangla Bijnor, was wanted by the police in Shahjahanpur, Bijnor, Amroha and Sambhal, officials said.

The police said in a statement that Rana had 43 cases against him, including six of murders and 13 of robberies. Rana had escaped from police custody twice in 2017 and 2022, the police said, adding that his gang had 48 members.

According to the police, on August 23, 2022, the police had brought Aditya Rana from Lucknow jail to Bijnor for the hearing in a case registered at Shivala Kalan police station. While returning from there, Aditya Rana managed to flee from Shahjahanpur's Red Chilli Dhaba by dodging the police.

According to Superintendent of Police Neeraj Kumar Jadaun, the SOG (Special Operation Group) team got information late in the night on Tuesday that Aditya and his companions were on the way to Budhanpur. The informer also told the SOG that Rana was planning to shift his location.

A police team rushed to the spot and tried to nab Rana and his associates. The police said after the gangster and his associates opened fire on them, they fired back and one criminal was injured in the shooting while others managed to escape.

After the firing stopped, the police found the criminal who was injured was Rana. He was rushed to the hospital where he died during treatment, the police said.

So far, the police have arrested more than eight people of the Aditya gang. They include his brother Chandraveer Bittu, who is a village head.

In the firing, five policemen also suffered minor injuries and their condition.