Mehar's killer gunned down in police encounter

Lucknow, May 20: Uttar Pradesh police today gunned down Sachin Pahari, main accused in the sensentional Meher Bhargava murder case.

Sachin, along with one of his accomplicse Vikas Kanaujiya, was killed in an encounter in a joint operation by the special task forces (STF) and district police near IIM Lucknow.

STF SSP S K Bhagat told UNI here that Sachin, along with three other criminals, was coming from Sitapur when police intercepted the four near Bithauli crossing near the IIM early this morning.

Sachin and Vikas were killed in the encounter when they tried to flee. However, the other two criminals managed to escape.

UP police had announced an award of Rs 50,000 on Sachin.

Police recovered a 9 mm foreign-made pistol from Sachin while Vikas was carrying a country-made pistol. Vikas was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a businessman Kedia in the state capital a couple of years back.

Sachin had fired on Mehar, wife of a congress leader Luv Bhargava, when she was coming out of the residence of her daughter-in-law on the night of February 28. The accused had reportedly passed lewd remarks on Mehar's daughter-in-law and she threatened to call the police.

Mehar had succumbed to her injuries at the Appolo hospital in New Delhi on March 25.

District police caught hold of other accused Sunny Rawat and one other, who were present at the time of the incident. At present, both are in jail under judicial custody.

Sachin gave the district police a slip when he fled from a bakery shop in the Kaiserbagh locality on March 29.

Meanwhile Mr Luv Bhargava told UNI that he was yet to be convinced that Sachin was killed in the encounter. ''I have to see the body as police might have killed anyone else and termed it as they have killed Sachin, '' he alleged.

UNI