Lucknow: In a joint operation, Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Agra police on Friday gunned down a wanted criminal in an encounter in Ekta police station area of Agra.The criminal, Pawan alias Kallu, was a resident of Sirauli under the Loni police station limits in Ghaziabad. He was wanted in an extortion case registered at Tajganj police station in Agra and carried a reward of Rs 50,000 on his arrest.The STF unit, acting on specific intelligence inputs, coordinated with the Agra police to intercept the accused. When confronted, he allegedly opened fire on the police team, prompting retaliatory action.During the exchange of fire, Pawan suffered gunshot injuries and was taken to SN Medical College for treatment, where doctors declared him dead.Police said Pawan was a hardened criminal and an active shooter associated with the notorious Randeep Bhati-Amit Kasana gang operating in the western UP and Delhi-NCR. Officials said Pawan had over 18 cases against him, including four of murder and at least two of extortion.In 2021, he also had a bounty of Rs 1 lakh in a murder case before being arrested and sent to jail from Delhi.While in jail, investigators said, he came in contact with Haryana-based Himanshu Bhau gang. After his release in 2025, he resumed criminal activities and began demanding extortion on a large scale, with plans to execute major crimes across Delhi and western UP.
