Maharashtra ATS nab two of Vikas Dubey men in Thane

MUMBAI: Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) on Saturday detained two henchmen of the recently shot dead gangster Vikas Dubey from a chawl in Dhokali, Thane. The two are accused in the killing of eight cops on the intervening night of July 2 and 3 in Kanpur when a police team had gone to arrest Dubey. The chawl where the duo was caught is a Covid containment zone.
The two have been identified as Arvind alias Guddan Trivedi, 46, and his driver Sushilkumar alias Sonu Tiwari, 30. They will be handed over to UP police on a transit remand.
Last week, an Uttar Pradesh police team went to Bikru village, Kanpur, to arrest Dubey, a known gangster in the northern state who faced more than 60 criminal cases. Dubey and his gang allegedly opened fire on the police and killed eight cops and injured several others.
On July 9, Dubey surrendered in Ujjain. The car carrying Dubey reportedly overturned. UP police said he tried to snatch a firearm to flee and was shot dead. Now, UP police have released posters of all key gang members who are on the run.
On Saturday, the Juhu unit of Maharashtra ATS led by inspector Daya Nayak got a tipoff about an accused reportedly hiding in Thane.
ATS laid a trap for Trivedi and his driver and nabbed them on Kolshet Road in Thane. The operation was supervised by ACP Shripad Kale and ATS chief Deven Bharti. No weapon was found on the two accused.
"The duo left UP on a bus and later travelled by a tempo and a truck. They first came to Pune and then went to Thane on July 7. Two brothers, in the movers and packers business, are from Guddan's village and live in Thane. Guddan sought shelter for one night. The room owner cited the Covid situation but he insisted. We got information about new faces in the area," said Nayak.
ATS said during preliminary inquiry they learnt Trivedi was involved in several crimes with Dubey, including the 2001 murder of state minister Santosh Shukla. UP government had announced a reward for his arrest.