Dacoit Thokia guns down six UP commandos, informer in ambush

Lucknow, July 23 (UNI) In a daring ambush, the Thokia gang killed six commandos of the Special Task Force along with a police informer.

Last night's ambush came only hours after the STF achieved a major breakthrough by killing another brigand Shiv Kumar Patel alias Dadua.

The STF team while returning from Chitrakoot with the body of slain Thokia gang member killed yesterday night, came under heavy fire near Banda. ''The dacoits, perched atop a hill's ridge, opened fire from automatic weapons at the STF vehicles, killing six of our men instantly...they however, could not take any weapons,'' said Inspector-General (STF) Arvind Kumar Jain.

The Thokia Gang is led by dacoit Ambika Patel alias Doctor alias Thokia.

Soon after killing Shiv Kumar Patel alias Dadua, another STF team had killed a member of the Thokia gang near Anusuya Ashram in Chitrakoot.

The ambush took place when the two STF Gypsies had slowed down to navigate through a slush on the curve of a road in the Kolhua jungle. The site of the ambush is on the UP-MP border.

There were a total of 15 STF men in the vehicles. While six were killed, 11 others received injuries. A police informer was also killed. Except the driver, all STF men killed were commandos drawn from various battalions of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC).

The killed have been identified as Lakshman Prasad, Uma Shanker, Brijesh Yadav, Ram Karan, Brijesh and driver Ishwar Dev Chauhan. The informer has been identified as Raj Karan, a resident of Naya Gaon, Satna in MP. Sita Ram, the other informer was also injured.

''This is just the beginning...the operations would continue till the menace is over,'' Mr Jain added. Meanwhile, sources said the Madhya Pradesh police had blocked all the entry routes to check the entry of dacoits.

The state government has, meanwhile, denied that the Thokia gang used grenades. ''Thankfully, their grenades were seized in yesterday's encounter at Anusuyya Ashram...had they used grenades, the casualties would have been much higher,'' said secretary (Home) Javeed Ahmed.

He said that had the STF men not held on to their positions after the initial attack, the dacoits could have escaped with police weapons. ''They held on to their positions for nearly an hour,'' he said.

Five of the STF personnel wounded in the encounter were admitted to the Swaroop Rani Hospital in Allahabad. The injured were provided first aid in Chitrakoot and then taken to the hospital in a critical condition, a report from Allahabad said.

The bodies of the slain cops would be sent to their native towns after post-mortem. The state government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to those killed. The wounded will be provided with Rs one lakh each.

State DGP Vikram Singh rushed to the site of the ambush and took stock of the situation.

UNI