LUCKNOW, Feb. 13 -- A 40-year-old inter-state criminal carrying a reward of Rs.50,000 was gunned down in a police encounter in the Budhana area of Muzaffarnagar, early on Thursday, officials said. The deceased, identified as Amjad alias Ajmad of Harsauli village under Shahpur police station limits, allegedly opened fire at a police team that attempted to intercept him around 3.30 am following a tip-off about his movement towards his village. Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar Verma said a joint team of Budhana, Titavi and Shahpur police had laid siege in the area. "When asked to surrender, the accused fired indiscriminately at the police team using a carbine and a pistol," he said. The exchange of fire lasted about 20 to 25 minutes. Superintendent of police (rural) Aditya Bansal, circle officer Gajendra Singh and station house officer Subhash Atri escaped unhurt as bullets struck their bulletproof jackets. Sub-inspector Sandeep Kumar and constable Ishfaq sustained bullet injuries and are stated to be stable. Police said Amjad continued firing until his ammunition was exhausted. Several bullets hit police vehicles, damaging window panes. He was shot in retaliatory firing and taken to the Budhana Community Health Centre, where he died during treatment. An accomplice fled the spot and is being traced. A carbine, a pistol and a motorcycle were recovered. Amjad was wanted in around 40 cases across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Bihar. In Uttar Pradesh alone, 21 cases were registered in Muzaffarnagar and nine in Ghaziabad, apart from others in Bijnor, Meerut, Ghazipur and Noida.Police said he began his criminal activities in 2012 and was booked under the Gangsters Act by 2013 in Muzaffarnagar and Haridwar. He allegedly specialised in armed robberies, carried out dressed as a police officer, to gain victims' trust or avoid suspicion. Officers said he would open fire without hesitation if resisted.htc...