Gangster Vikas Dubey, one of Uttar Pradesh’s most wanted criminal, was arrested from Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain on Thursday morning. Dubey was responsible for gunning down eight policemen in Kanpur on July 3.

Giving details of the arrest, Ujjain SP Manoj Kumar Singh said, “Dubey reached Mahakal temple and purchased flowers and prasad from a shop. The owner had seen him on TV and suspected him to Dubey. He called up the private security agency at the temple.”

Dubey also bought a Rs 250 ticket for darshan, informed Kumar.

The gangster had been on the run since July 3, when in a pre-dawn ambush his gang members killed one DSP, three sub inspectors and four constables who had come to arrest the gangster in a murder case.

The SP added, “The private security guards informed our officials at Mahakal Chowki and started talking to him. He faked his identity in the beginning but later told his correct name. Later, he was taken to the police station.”

The Madhya Pradesh police contacted Kanpur SSP and STF to confirm his identity.

WATCH: ‘I am Vikas Dubey from Kanpur’, gangster screamed as cops took him away

He was we handed him over to STF and the private security guards left for UP with him.

The Ujjain SP said they were in constant communication with the UP Police and will share whatever further evidence they find in future.

“I got a letter from SSP Kanpur that he is wanted and should be handed over to them. So, after proper documentation, we handed him over to the UP Police,”said Singh

He added that Dubey was arrested on time or else he would have left Ujjain after the darshan.

Dubey, who faces around 60 criminal cases, including that of murder, was seen in a CCTV footage at a Faridabad hotel on Wednesday. The Police had been hot on his heels since the day of ambush and shot dead two of his close aides and arrested many others.