LUCKNOW, Dec. 22 -- Two notorious criminals carrying hefty cash rewards were killed in separate police encounters in Saharanpur and Bulandshahr districts on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, officials said.

Confirming the incidents, additional director general of police (law and order) Amitabh Yash said the action reflected the Uttar Pradesh Police's continued crackdown.

In Saharanpur, a Special Task Force (STF) team intercepted Siraj Ahmad, a wanted murder accused carrying a reward of Rs.1 lakh, after receiving intelligence inputs about his movement into the Gangoh area from the Punjab-Haryana border to commit a major crime, officials said.

During a cordon-and-search operation, Siraj allegedly opened fire on the STF person...