STF shoots dead ₹50,000 reward criminal in encounter

Moradabad (The Uttam Hindu): In a major operation, the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh shot dead a ₹50,000 reward criminal, Ashu Chadha alias Monty, during an encounter in Moradabad district. The कार्रवाई was carried out jointly by the STF Meerut unit and local police.

According to police, the accused was a sharpshooter of the notorious Udham Singh gang and had been a long-standing challenge for law enforcement agencies.

Ashu Chadha had as many as 36 serious criminal cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, robbery, and extortion. He was recently wanted in a case involving a ₹5 crore extortion demand from a businessman in Moradabad along with a deadly attack.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the STF team surrounded him. During the operation, the accused opened fire on the police, prompting retaliatory action. He was seriously injured in the encounter and later declared dead at the hospital.

Police recovered a Swift car, a .32 bore factory-made pistol, a revolver, a 12-bore gun, a large quantity of cartridges, and several empty shells from the encounter site, indicating his active involvement in organized crime.

Investigations revealed that Ashu Chadha was originally a resident of Meerpur Kala village in Hapur district. He was first jailed in 2010 in a murder case, where he came into contact with members of the Udham Singh gang. After being released on bail, he joined the gang and became actively involved in criminal activities.

Over time, he turned crime into a profession, participating in multiple cases of robbery, murder, and extortion. Police officials stated that he had become a trusted sharpshooter of the gang and was involved in several major crimes.

STF officials said that the encounter sends a strong message to criminals operating in the region. The police added that their campaign against crime and criminals in the state will continue with the same intensity.