Begusarai: A man accused of the abduction and murder of a political leader in Bihar has been killed in a police encounter in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, in the early hours of Sunday. Identified as W Yadav, the alleged gangster had 24 cases against him, including charges of murder, robbery and extortion, across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Yadav was wanted for the killing of Rakesh Kumar, also known as Vikas, a local leader of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) in Begusarai district, Bihar. Kumar was abducted on May 25 near his home in Sandalpur, and his body was discovered buried in sand along the Ganga River in Munger district days later.
The encounter occurred near the Baddha canal bridge in Hapur’s Simbhaoli area around 2.30am, following a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Bihar Police. Acting on intelligence that Yadav was planning a major criminal act, the team attempted to apprehend him. According to police, Yadav opened fire when asked to surrender and was injured in retaliatory firing. He was declared dead at a local hospital. Two policemen were also injured in the exchange.
Station house officer Sumit Kumar described the operation as a “major success”. A motorcycle was recovered from the site, and the body was sent for postmortem. Yadav had been on the run since Bihar Police declared him a fugitive on July 18. A reward of Rs 50,000 had been issued for information leading to his capture.
Police had previously arrested his wife, Sita Devi, who served as a village sarpanch, and demolished Yadav’s house using an earthmover as part of the crackdown.
Investigators believe a long-standing rivalry between Yadav and Kumar may have led to the killing. Despite Sita Devi’s official role, villagers reportedly turned to Kumar for resolving disputes, leading to repeated tensions. On May 24, a confrontation at a local shop escalated when Kumar tried to mediate. Police say Yadav and his associates then assaulted Kumar, fired dozens of rounds, and abducted him.
