MEERUT, Oct. 1 -- As a police crackdown after the September 26 violence here continued, 16 more accused were arrested and sent to jail on Tuesday, police said, adding a key accused was caught after an encounter. Superintendent of police (SP)-City Manush Pareek said 14 individuals were arrested from the Kotwali area and two from Baradari. One of them is a minor. With the fresh arrests, the number of people arrested in connection with the violence rose to 72. Among those arrested is Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) district president Shamsad Alam. According to police, he was actively involved in the conspiracy with cleric and IMC chief Tauqeer Raza, one Nadeem, and one Dr. Nafees. Shamsad was also found to be active on WhatsApp groups and social media. In a separate operation, the police arrested Tazim, who was part of the September 26 mob and had opened fire on a police team, following an encounter near Radha Madhav School in the Bithri Chainpur police station area. During the encounter, Tazim sustained a bullet injury in his leg. Police said Tazim opened fire on the police team near Shyamatganj Bridge. A country-made pistol and cartridges were recovered from him. According to SP, the police received a tip-off that the miscreant was spotted near Harun Nagla Bridge on a bike. When the police tried to intercept him, he sped away towards Bithri Chainpur. The chase ended near a water tank close to Radha Madhav School, where Tazim abandoned his bike and opened fire on the police team. In retaliatory fire, he was shot in the leg and captured. Preliminary interrogation revealed that Tazim, a resident of Qazi Tola in the Baradari police station area, had a prior criminal record. He had earlier been jailed in cases of cow slaughter and under the Gangsters Act....