LUCKNOW, Nov. 11 -- Two most-wanted criminals Asif alias Tiddha and Dinu, both residents of Meerut and carrying rewards of Rs.1 lakh and Rs.50,000 respectively, were gunned down in the gunfight during a joint operation of the Special Task Force (STF) field unit of Meerut and Moradabad police on Monday night in Bhojpur area of Moradabad district, confirmed senior police officials in a press note shared with media. The police officials said both were injured during the retaliatory firing and were shifted to the nearest hospital where they succumbed to their injuries. Recently, they had demanded an extortion of Rs 1 crore from a trader. According to the STF officials, the team intercepted the criminals following specific intelligence inputs. During the exchange of fire, both the criminals sustained serious injuries. The police recovered a car, a 30-bore carbine, three 32-bore pistols, a large quantity of live and empty cartridges from the spot. The police officials revealed that Asif alias Tiddha, son of Shamshad, was a hardened criminal. Originally from Kalchina village of Ghaziabad, Asif was living in Rasheed Nagar, Meerut. "Known for his criminal tendencies from a young age, he dropped out after Class 8 and went on to form a gang involved in loot, dacoity, kidnapping, extortion, and murder across western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Uttarakhand and Haryana," said a senior STF official. "Asif had more than 65 criminal cases registered against him, including murders, highway robberies, extortion, and arms-related offences. In 2013, he was declared a history-sheeter at Brahmpuri police station in Meerut." The official further said Dinu, son of Channu alias Iliyas, also a resident of Meerut, had 25 criminal cases registered against him. He was also a co-accused in the 2020 Muzaffarnagar murder case with Asif....