LUCKNOW: Rashid Kalia, a criminal named in two murders along with 15 other cases and carrying a Rs 1.25 lakh bounty on his head, was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) in Jhansi on Saturday.During the exchange of fire, a deputy SP rank officer and an inspector rank officer were hit by bullets but escaped serious injuries due to the bulletproof vests.A senior STF officer said that a team was tipped off about Kalia who had arrived to carry out a contract killing.A team intercepted him and asked him to surrender but instead he opened fire, a deputy SP and an inspector rank officer were hit by bullets but no injury was caused as they were wearing bulletproof vests, the STF officer added.Later, in retaliatory fire Rashid slumped to the ground was taken to a hospital and declared brought dead.Rashid Kalia’s criminal record includes his involvement in several high-profile cases, including 2020 murder of Pintu Sengar, a notorious gangster turned politician.

Kalia, 45, is in known for his expertise in maintaining a low profile to evade law enforcement.

He has faced charges for 11 serious crimes in Kanpur alone.The STF seized two factory-made pistols and the motorcycle Kalia was riding at the time of the encounter.