Gangster Vinod Gadariya killed in encounter

Lucknow: A dreaded gangster , Vinod Gadariya alias Gurjar alias Fauji alias Thakur, was killed in a gunfight with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) in the Jahangirabad area of Bulandshahr district late on Friday evening.

Vinod Gadariya was a hardened criminal with a long history of violent crimes dating back to 2006. He was wanted in more than 40 serious cases, including dacoity , armed robbery, murder, extortion, and illegal arms possession, registered across multiple police stations in Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, and Baghpat. He had been absconding since 2024 and carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh announced by the Muzaffarnagar police.

ADG, Law and Order, Amitabh Yash, said that the Noida unit of the UP STF had been tracking the movement of a gang of dacoits in the region. A confrontation broke out in the rural outskirts of Jahangirabad during a late evening operation, leading to an exchange of fire. One criminal, later identified as Vinod Gadariya (son of Sitaram, resident of Isopur Khurgan under Kairana police station in Shamli), sustained critical gunshot injuries. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

Several of the charges against him fall under stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code and the newly implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 310 (dacoity), 317 (gang robbery), 331 (criminal conspiracy), and 309 (armed violence).