Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sidhu held a meeting with senior police officers of Uttar Pradesh on Monday. Progress made in course of the investigation by the assigned teams regarding the December 15 escape of the notorious contract killer Amit Malik alias Bhura from the police custody figured at the meeting, it is learnt.
DGP Sidhu on Saturday had also met seniors of The Delhi Police in the national Capital and reviewed progress made in course of the investigation by the teams so far. The police officers also discussed the matter threadbare as a precursor to firm up a fresh strategy to nab Bhura.
Sidhu reached lucknow on Sunday and held a meeting with UP senior police officers on Monday. The meeting was attended by Uttar Pradesh DGP Al Banerjee, UP ADGP (law and order) Mukul Goel, UP DIG (STF) Sujeet Pandey, and other senior police officers. The officers discussed progress made in course of the probe on the infamous escape by the teams so far in details.
Inputs gathered by the teams from UP, Uttarakhand, and The Delhi police were exchanged. In view of the shooter remaining elusive, they have together decided to launch a fresh joint operation to apprehend Bhura. The joint operation will be operated from a special control room that was opened in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The senior police officers of all the three States-Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi-would monitor the progress made by the respective teams from time to time aside from going for the formulation of a fresh strategy to re-arrest the criminal if the situation so warrants.
The police officers decided to include seasoned and skilled police officers from UP, Uttarakhand and Delhi in the joint operation. SSP or DIG would camp in special control room in Noida to review the progress made by the teams in 24 hours on a daily basis. Uttarakhand STF SSP Sadanand Date and Deputy SP Navneet Singh Bhullar were directed to remain in the control room and review the progress made by the teams.
The operation is functional with immediate effect and the police officers have been directed to camp there until they get hold of the gangster. UP SSP (STF) would camp the control room too, it was decided.
ADGP (law and order) Ram Singh Meena said that several teams, including Special Task Force (STF) and Special Operation Group (SOG), have been formed and they have been deployed at various places. Apart from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, teams are receiving cooperation from Rajasthan and Haryana police on the task of nabbing the criminal. Teams are working under the direction of senior police officers and their works are being monitored periodically, he said.
Recently, two aids of Bhura were arrested and sent to jail by the Baghpat police after being presented in the court. Teams are directed to grill the suspects to get more information related to the case, he added.
It should be mentioned here that Bhura had escaped from the police custody while being taken to the court in Baghpat in connection with a murder case, giving the escorting personnel a slip on December 15. The armed criminals had sprinkled chilli power on policemen and looted police of two AK-47 rifles and one self-loading rifle (SlR) aside from securing the escape of Bhura from the escorting cops.