Meerut, March 18 -- The main accused in the double murder case in Bareilly was killed in a police encounter on Tuesday morning, bringing a dramatic end to a manhunt that began after he allegedly stabbed his mother-in-law and brother-in-law to death during a family dispute. The accused had a criminal past, and he was accused of killing his uncle. Senior superintendent of police Anurag Arya said three police teams had been deployed to track down the accused, Afsar Khan, 38, following the incident on Monday. Acting on a tip-off, police surrounded him in the Izzatnagar area at around 6 am on Tuesday. According to officials, Afsar opened fire on the police team, prompting retaliatory firing in which he was critically injured. He was rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Police recovered a pistol and the knife used in the killings from the accused. Ten empty cartridges were also found at the encounter site, indicating heavy firing by the accused. Two constables sustained injuries during the exchange and are currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital. The incident traces back to a Panchayat (community meeting) held on Monday in Rahpura Chaudhary village under the Izzatnagar police station limits. The meeting had been convened to resolve an ongoing domestic dispute between Afsar and his wife, Saima, 30. During the proceedings, an argument escalated, and Afsar allegedly launched a brutal knife attack on his mother-in-law Asma, 50, brother-in-law Adil, 22, and wife. Asma and Adil succumbed to their injuries, while Saima remains in critical condition at a hospital. Witnesses said Afsar fled the scene brandishing a blood-stained knife, heading towards the airport area, triggering a massive police search operation. Family alleged Afsar, an e-rickshaw and ambulance driver, married cousin Saima in 2017 and has two children, abused her over finances and intoxicant addiction, assaulting her and her mother days earlier. Saima called 112 and later filed a complaint at Izzatnagar police station, alleging threat to life, but no action followed. Afsar was earlier jailed for his uncle's 2004 murder and got bail in 2015....