A timeline of UP's Vikas Dubey case: From the murder of cops to his encounter

From a feared local gangster to becoming India’s most followed criminal, to being a dead man, all within the span of one week

Vikas Dubey was a relatively unknown figure outside of Kanpur and neighbouring areas, where he had something of a reputation for being above the law. He had 62 criminal cases against him and was charged with shooting Santosh Shukla, a state BJP minister inside a police station in 2001. He served a four year sentence for the same.

It was the murder of Shukla that propelled Dubey’s name to the political frontlines, so to speak. He was accused of playing a role in the murder of Dinesh Dubey, a cable operator over a financial dispute.

Also Read: Of power, politics and patronage in the Vikas Dubey case

July 2 - July 3 (midnight) - A large team of police officers went to Bikaru village, Kanpur to arrest Dubey. In a resulting shootout, eight officers died in the attempt with reports suggesting that Dubey had his henchmen open gunfire on the officers.

July 3 - Prem Prakash Pandey, Dubey’s uncle and Atul Dubey, a cousin, are shot down in what is believed to be an encounter. Meanwhile, Dubey is nowhere to be found.

July 4 - His accountant, Jai Vajpayi, is arrested by the police. In what could be described as deliberately orchestrated irony, Dubey’s house is razed down using the very same earthmovers that were used in blocking the police vehicles. Dubey’s father, who lived in the same house, was taken to Lucknow. Meanwhile Chaubepur SO Vinay Tiwari was suspended. He is believed to have tipped-off Dubey regarding the raid, in which eight officers were killed.

July 5 - “Kallu” aka Dayashankar Agnihotri, who is believed to be a close aide to Dubey, shot in the leg and subsequently arrested. He confesses to being aware of Dubey being tipped-off about the raid by an insider from the police station.

July 6 - A letter by officer Devendra Mishra, who was killed in the shootout on the night of July 3, resurfaced. It was addressed to S.P Anant Dev in March and it detailed the extent of Dubey’s nexus. The letter has been verified by UP police.

July 7 - In light of the news regarding officer Mishra’s letter, SP Anant Dev was transferred. On the same day, Dubey is allegedly spotted in Faridabad, Haryana.

July 8 - In operations across Kanpur and Faridabad, several of Dubey’s aides are arrested including six men and two women who were his relatives. Meanwhile, Amar Dubey, his bodyguard, who was allegedly part of the group that was involved in a shootout with the police on 3rd July, was shot down. SHO Vijay Tiwari was arrested on the charges of leaking information to Dubey and forewarning him about the raid.

July 9 - Vikas Dubey is arrested in Ujjain. He reportedly drove from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, to Faridabad, Haryana, to Kota, Rajasthan, and finally went to the Mahakal temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. According to reports, Dubey dramatically announced his presence at the temple, saying, “main Vikas Dubey, Kanpur-wala” (I am Vikas Dubey, the one from Kanpur). Within hours, his wife, son, and domestic help, were arrested for being part of the conspiracy.

July 10 - Vikas Dubey is killed in an encounter. The police allege that a horde of cows and buffaloes blocked the road, resulting in the vehicle to turn over. Sensing an opportunity, Dubey tried to escape, when he was shot down.

The last one week, in which Vikas Dubey went from being a feared yet relatively unknown local gangster to one of the most talked-about people in the country was strange. From the firing on the police officers, to Dubey’s dramatic arrest/surrender to his encounter, the case was closely followed by national media with great interest. The stakes were particularly high because Dubey was accused of being part of a political nexus where he was close to leaders of all political parties in Uttar Pradesh. Some on Twitter even speculated that Dubey would be shot down in an “encounter”, in order to cover the tracks of those whom he had close ties with.