Meerut, Dec. 10 -- Wanted for several serious criminal offences, a history-sheeter was shot dead in a late-night police encounter in Shamli district on Monday, police said. The criminal had a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his capture, they added. Shamli superintendent of police NP Singh said Samaydeen alias Sama, who hailed from Raizadgan under Kandhla police station limits of the district, had been hiding in Karnataka's Tumkur district. Despite multiple efforts, he had managed to escape police action for years. The SP said police received information late on Monday night that Samaydeen had returned and was planning to carry out a major crime. Acting swiftly, teams from Thanabhawan and Babri police stations began a coordinated search operation. As soon as the criminal spotted the police, he allegedly opened indiscriminate firing. The police retaliated in self-defence and injured him. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead. A large cache of weapons was recovered from the spot, including: a 9 mm pistol, a .32 bore pistol, a 315-bore country-made pistol and several empty and live cartridges. The SP said Samaydeen was wanted in numerous grave cases, including those lodged under the Gangsters Act. Police were now analysing his criminal record to identify his associates....