GHAZIABAD: A 24-year-old man, carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh for his alleged role in the attack on businessman and YouTuber Saleem Wastik, was killed in an encounter in Loni late on Sunday night, just a day after chief minister
Yogi Adityanath ordered a speedy arrest and an impartial probe.
Police said Zeeshan's associate escaped under the cover of darkness.
Zeeshan, a resident of Amroha who had been living in Khoda Colony for some time, had stabbed Wastik (55) multiple times in his office in Loni on Friday, an assault that left the victim with life-threatening injuries.
DCP (rural) Surendra Nath Tiwari said police formed more than seven teams after the attack, scanned footage from over 200 CCTV cameras and identified Zeeshan as one of the attackers. A reward of Rs 25,000 was announced on Zeeshan's arrest on Friday and raised to Rs 1 lakh on Sunday.
A senior officer said that around 9pm on Sunday, police received a tip-off that Zeeshan had been spotted in Loni and was planning another crime. "Hundreds of police personnel were deployed at different locations. One team checking roads saw him on a bike with another man. When asked to stop, he tried to flee," the officer said.
"After a few hundred metres, Zeeshan opened fire at the cops chasing him. In the cross-firing, a bullet hit Zeeshan and he fell on the road. His associate managed to escape, but we surrounded Zeeshan and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. More than eight rounds were fired," the officer added.
Two head constables, Sachin and Nitin, were injured in the gunfight.
On Friday, Zeeshan and his associate arrived on a bike, parked outside Wastik's office and asked children nearby to move away, according to police. They then barged into the office, assaulted the YouTuber and stabbed him more than 10 times in the abdomen and near the throat before fleeing as family members rushed in. Wastik was taken to a private hospital and later referred to GTB Hospital in Delhi.
An FIR was registered against two unidentified assailants and five others on a complaint by Wastik's son under BNS sections 109(1) (attempt to murder) and 3(5) (common intention). Police said they were examining possible motives behind the attack, including personal enmity and ideological differences.
Wastik, known for posting videos questioning fundamentalist practices, is still in ICU, his son Usman said. "Doctors are concerned about the throat injury. The exact reason behind the attack can only be revealed by my father," he said.
Avishek Kumar is a city reporter at the Times of India in Noida a...
Read MoreAvishek Kumar is a city reporter at the Times of India in Noida and Ghaziabad. He reports on crime, fire, and traffic with a particular focus on civic issues. Over the course of more than five years in journalism, he covered a broad spectrum of city beats, including courts and civics. He is committed to pursuing leads and producing hard-hitting, fact-based, field-exclusive reports.
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