Saturday, March 29, 2025
In Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district, a notorious criminal identified as Santosh alias Raju was shot dead in a police encounter. The action followed the discovery of a truck driver’s body—Sagarmal Meena, a native of Rajasthan—on NH-2. According to police, Sagarmal was en route from Gujarat carrying a trailer loaded with copper wires and railway material worth over ₹4 crore.
Criminal Santosh and his associates murdered the driver, dumped his body, and stole the loaded truck. The incident raised immediate alarms and led to an intensive investigation.
Kaushambi SP Rajesh Kumar stated that the police received actionable intelligence about five men negotiating a deal for the stolen goods near Kokhraj area. A trailer carrying the loot was also found at the scene. Acting swiftly, the police raided the spot and arrested all five suspects.
Among them, four were buyers trying to purchase copper at half the market price. Santosh alias Raju was the main shooter who killed the truck driver with a pistol. After interrogation, he agreed to lead police to the weapon.
While recovering the pistol, Santosh suddenly snatched the weapon and opened fire on the police party. Fortunately, due to their bulletproof vests, the inspector and sub-inspector escaped serious injuries. Police responded in self-defence and shot Santosh. He was rushed to the hospital but died of his injuries.
Two other gang members were also reportedly present during the incident and are now under investigation.
SP Rajesh Kumar further revealed that Santosh’s gang specialized in targeting trailers carrying valuable materials like copper or industrial goods. They would overtake and forcibly stop vehicles, loot the goods, and abandon the drivers. At least six similar cases have been traced to this gang across multiple states, including one in Mumbai.
The police are continuing a deep investigation into the broader network behind these crimes.
