Ghaziabad: Days after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed police to take strict action in the YouTuber Saleem Wastik stabbing case, one of the two suspects involved in the stabbing was allegedly killed in an exchange of fire with Ghaziabad police on Sunday night, officials said, adding that the other managed to escape in the dark.
During the encounter, two policemen sustained injuries, while a bullet hit a sub-inspector’s bulletproof jacket.
On Friday around 6am, two bikers allegedly barged into the office of Wastik, a YouTuber who often made videos on religious practices. They stabbed him multiple times before escaping on their bike.
Wastik’s son, Usman Ahmad, told HT on Saturday that his father’s condition is critical and that he is undergoing treatment at GTB Hospital in Delhi.
Following the incident, the Uttar Pradesh information department, quoting CM Adityanath, said, “There is no place in the state for those who spread terror or attempt to disrupt law and order.”
It added that Adityanath directed an impartial investigation into the matter and that 10 special teams have been constituted to ensure the arrest of the accused.
With the help of CCTV and electronic surveillance,police said they identified one suspect as Zeeshan, 25, who hails from Amroha and is a resident of Khoda in Ghaziabad.
When teams were trying to locate Zeeshan, Ghaziabad police received a tip-off on Sunday that a suspect involved in stabbing Wastik was reaching Loni, Ghaziabad, to carry out another crime.
“Upon getting information, a police team laid a trap and cordoned off the area near Nithari Road railway underpass,” Ghaziabad police said in a statement, adding, “At around 10:10 pm, a bike was spotted approaching the police. When police tried to stop the suspects, they fired at the police team and slipped while maneuvering the bike to the left at high speed.”
The statement further added, “The suspects opened fire at the police team again, and two police head constables, Vipin Thakur and Sachin Kumar, suffered bullet injuries, while another bullet hit SI Nitin Chaudhary’s bulletproof jacket.”
“Left with no option, in self defense police fired at one of the suspects, who sustained injuries. The suspect, identified as Zeeshan, was taken to a nearby hospital where he succumbed while undergoing treatment. Another unidentified suspect managed to escape in the dark,” the statement added.
While confirming the encounter, Surendra Nath Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ghaziabad (Rural), told HT, “Multiple rounds were fired, in which two bullets hit Zeeshan in the chest and leg. The exact bullet injuries will be ascertained in the post-mortem examination.”
“Efforts are underway to nab the second suspect, and further investigation is underway,” added DCP Tiwari.
Police had registered a case under Sections 109(1)/3(5) (attempt to murder) and 333 (house trespass) of the BNS at Loni police station against the two suspects.