In Sultanpur, UP, the encounter of Mangesh Yadav, a criminal with a reward of one lakh on his head, is raising several questions. These questions are arising not just from political parties but also from Mangesh Yadav's family. However, some facts cannot be ignored in this encounter.
Let's dive into the inside story of this case...
The first questions regarding the encounter of Mangesh Yadav are on the 11-member team of UP STF which included Deputy SP DK Shahi, Inspectors Raghavendra Singh and Mahavir Singh, Sub Inspectors Atul Chaturvedi and Pradeep Singh, Head Constables Sushil Singh, Ram Niwas Shukla, and Neeraj Pandey, and Constables Amit Tripathi, Brajesh Bahadur Singh, and Amar Srivastava.
Read the FIR registered by Deputy SP DK Shahi regarding Mangesh Yadav's encounter. According to it, Mangesh was considered a very dangerous criminal, and hence, the STF team took numerous precautions, followed all rules taught during training, wore bulletproof jackets, carried weapons, and then encountered Mangesh Yadav, a criminal with a reward of one lakh, who was coming on a bike.
Police Spotted Wearing Slippers at Encounter Site
Now look at the pictures of the encounter site where Deputy SP DK Shahi leading the STF team, and his three associates are seen wearing slippers. DK Shahi is seen standing in slippers, next to him Head Constable (in pink T-shirt) Ram Niwas Shukla, and then Head Constable Sushil Singh and Neeraj Pandey, who came to STF from Jaunpur SOG, are standing there.
Source: aajtak
Why Didn't Policemen Wear Bulletproof Jackets?
Another crucial line in the STF's FIR states that to capture a criminal like Mangesh, the STF team wore bulletproof jackets. But in reality, at the field encounter, none of the 11 members of the team was seen with a bulletproof jacket either on their bodies or in their hands. Did the UP STF forget the negligence that occurred during the Bikru incident, or were they already confident that no shots would be fired from the criminal's side in this encounter?
Now, let's talk about the cases registered against Mangesh Yadav. There are eight cases registered against Mangesh Yadav, including the Sultanpur robbery case. All cases were related to vehicle theft and looting, with one case under the Gangster Act. Mangesh was arrested twice by the police, once from Sultanpur and once from Jaunpur. But Mangesh never fired a gun or stabbed anyone while committing a crime, and during both his arrests, no weapons were found on him. Yet, during the encounter, the police/STF claim that Mangesh Yadav had two weapons, one being a 7.65 MM pistol and the other a 315 homemade gun.
Police allege that on 28 August, at 12:15 PM, Mangesh looted crores from Bharat Jewelers in the Sultanpur city police station. However, Mangesh's sister counters that on 28 August, her brother was at school with her paying her fees. He was with her from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Source: aajtak
Not only this, but his sister also claims that the STF took Mangesh from home at 2:30 AM on 2 September and killed him in an encounter at 3:15 AM on 5 September.
This Case Filed in Jaunpur Against Mangesh is Crucial
Among the nine cases filed against Mangesh Yadav, the eighth case in Jaunpur city police station becomes very significant. Crime Number 348/2024 filed under section 303 (2) BNS tells another story.
According to it, Mohammad Naseem, a resident of the Jaunpur city police station area, went to see his mother in a private hospital, where his Hero Honda Splendor bike UP 44 AK 6740 was stolen on 20 August at 2:00 PM, just eight days before the Sultanpur jeweler robbery. But the FIR for this bike theft was filed eight days later and eight hours after the Sultanpur robbery, on 28 August at 8:11 PM.
According to the FIR filed by the STF, Mangesh Yadav had an American Tourister bag, 3 branded T-shirts, and two branded pants. But the conditions of Mangesh's home tell a different story of his struggles. So how did he acquire such expensive branded clothes?
Source: aajtak
Is it that UP STF did not learn any lesson from the martyrdom in Kanpur's Bikru incident? Why did they claim to wear bulletproof jackets on paper but went to Mangesh Yadav's encounter in jeans, T-shirts, and slippers? What was the reason for this overconfidence of the police/STF? Did the police already know that their target Mangesh Yadav was not capable of firing back? Or is there another story?
When Mangesh Yadav executed a robbery in broad daylight on 28 August, his three accomplices were caught after the encounter, the gang leader Vipin Singh had surrendered, and a reward of ₹1 lakh was on his head. So why did he go back to Sultanpur, where police and STF were searching for him and later conducted his encounter?
Among the eight cases registered against Mangesh Yadav, there is no mention of using or recovering weapons, meaning Mangesh didn't usually carry weapons. So how did he have a pistol and a homemade gun that night?
Mangesh Yadav's Sister's Claim
Mangesh's sister claimed that her brother was with her the entire day on 28 August, paying her school fees and couldn't have conducted the robbery. Why is her claim not matching the STF's statement?
Source: aajtak
Mangesh's sister questions the encounter, claiming that on the early morning of 2 September, the STF took Mangesh from home and encountered him at 3:15 AM on 5 September.
In the agaroura village of Jaunpur, Mangesh Yadav's family's financial condition is such that there was not even a bicycle at home. Meanwhile, the police show the recovery of branded bags, clothes, and expensive pistols from him.
What is the connection of the bike theft case filed in Jaunpur on 28 August against Mangesh? Why was the FIR of the bike theft on 20 August in Jaunpur filed at 8:00 PM on 28 August after the Sultanpur robbery? Was this part of a conspiracy? Or a clue received by the police?
Mangesh Yadav's father Rakesh Yadav is a truck driver in Gujarat. At home, there is only a younger sister studying in the tenth grade and an elderly mother. Was it that seeing Mangesh's history of petty thefts, the police made him an easy target for the encounter and used his death to deflect pressure on them after the Sultanpur robbery?
Police Tell This Story
The police claimed that 14 culprits were involved in the 28 August Sultanpur robbery, divided into three teams. Pushpendra Singh, Tribhuban, and Sachin Singh were waiting with a Bolero to take the looted goods and criminals to Raebareli after the robbery.
Source: aajtak
The second team included Vipin Singh, Vinay Shukla, Ajay Yadav, Arvind Yadav, Vivek Singh, and Durgesh Pratap Singh, who were involved in market reconnaissance and backup planning.
The police claimed that the five criminals who entered the shop were Furqan, Anuj Pratap Singh, Arbaaz, Mangesh Yadav, and Ankit Yadav. However, jeweler Bharat Soni, where the robbery took place, could not recognize any of the caught or killed individuals.
The police arrested three criminals, Pushpendra Singh, Tribhuwan Kori, and Sachin Singh, injured in the encounter on 1 September, two days after the incident. On the other hand, the most dangerous and cunning criminal in the gang, Vipin Singh, surrendered in Raebareli under an old case on 4 September. The fifth accused, Mangesh Yadav, was killed in the encounter.
Now a reward of one lakh each has been announced on nine remaining criminals: Furqan, Anuj Pratap Singh, Arbaaz, Vinay Shukla, Ankit Yadav, Ajay Yadav, Arvind Yadav, Vivek Singh, and Durgesh Pratap Singh.
DGP Provides Clarification
However, amidst the rising questions about Mangesh Yadav's encounter, the Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh has refuted the allegations, saying that those who face such situations in the field know the reality. He stated that he denies the accusations against the Uttar Pradesh Police.
