Another aide of gangster Vikas Dubey Shashikant alias Sonu Pandey was arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Chaubeypur on Tuesday morning. Upon his arrest, Pandey said that Dubey had ordered the killing of the eight policemen on July 2.

Pandey made the claims to a TV news channel while being taken away by the police.

He, however, denied killing DSP Devendra Mishra, who was among the eight policemen killed, when they went to arrest Dubey at Bhikru village in Kanpur.

“They (policemen) were killed very brutally,” said Pandey.

When asked why did he flee from his house and why did he get his head tonsured, he said, “My mother told me to run away.” 

“I got my head tonsured because my father (Prem Kumar Pandey), also Dubey’s aide, is no more.” Prem Kumar and Atul Dubey were killed in an encounter at Bikru village, on July 3.

When asked how the firing was started from the rooftop of Dubey’s house, Shashikant said, “It was immediately ordered (on the raid by the police team). Vikas Dubey gave the orders.”

In response to a question by the reporter, Pandey said, “He (Dubey) did not spare anyone.” On being asked if “he (Dubey) also used to target girls”, Pandey replied in positive. Pandey was arrested and two rifles of the Uttar Pradesh police, looted during the Kanpur ambush earlier this month, were recovered, police said on Tuesday.

Pandey carried a cash reward of Rs 50,000 on his arrest, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said.

“Shashikant Pandey was an accused in the killing of the eight policemen (in the Kanpur ambush). He was arrested from Chaubeypur around 2.50 am,” Kumar told reporters.

“During interrogation, he admitted to his involvement in the encounter at Bikru village in Kanpur dehat. It was revealed that the looted AK-47 of police was hidden in Dubey’s house while the INSAS rifle was at Shashikant’s house,” he added.