MEERUT, Oct. 7 -- A wanted criminal, Imran, carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh, was killed in an encounter with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Saharanpur police and Sarsawa police late on Sunday night. Police said Imran was a close aide of gangster Mehtab, who was shot dead in Muzaffarnagar two days ago. Both were accused in several loot and dacoity cases across western Uttar Pradesh. Imran, a resident of Sonta Rasoolpur in Shamli district's Thana Bhawan area, was allegedly involved in a major dacoity in Sarasawa and had been absconding. Along with Mehtab, he reportedly led a gang active in Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, and Saharanpur, accused of robbery, dacoity, and extortion. The ADG of Meerut Zone had earlier announced a Rs 1 lakh reward for his capture. "The slain criminal was wanted in several loot and dacoity cases across western Uttar Pradesh. Police will not spare criminals at any cost," senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ashish Tiwari said. Police said they received information around 1:30 am that Imran was hiding in the area with his aides. A team led by superintendent of police (SP) (Dehat) Sagar Jain reached the spot, where Imran allegedly opened fire. Police retaliated, killing him on the spot. A pistol, cartridges, and a motorcycle were recovered from the location, and the body was sent for post-mortem examination. Earlier, around 10 pm, police had pursued Imran after he allegedly snatched a motorcycle in the Gagalhedi area. During the chase, he fired at officers, injuring inspector Parvesh Sharma and Sarasawa SHO Vinod Kumar. The SHO's bulletproof jacket saved his life. Both injured officers are under treatment and out of danger. Police recovered two .32 bore pistols, 18 empty cartridges, 10 live rounds, and the stolen bike. Imran's name surfaced in connection with the September 15 robbery in Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, where he and Mehtab allegedly looted jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh from jeweller Nemchand, 60, and his grandson Ankit, 25. The victims were tied up in a field and robbed of 70 grams of gold, 2.5 kg of silver, and cash. Ankit was stabbed when he resisted. Police had earlier arrested Shadab, a Rs 20,000 bounty criminal, in the same case on September 21. During interrogation, he allegedly named Imran and Mehtab as the key conspirators. Two days ago, Muzaffarnagar police had gunned down Mehtab in an encounter after he allegedly opened fire instead of surrendering. Around 20 rounds were exchanged before he was shot dead, while Imran had managed to flee during the exchange....