LUCKNOW/GHAZIABAD: A notorious criminal who was carrying a reward on his arrest in the case of robbery involving a first-year BTech student has been killed in a police encounter in Ghaziabad on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Jitendra, a history sheeter, who had 12 cases registered against him. A reward of Rs 25,000 had been declared on his arrest, the police mentioned.

The student, Kirti Singh (19), had suffered grievous injuries after two bike-borne men tried to snatch her phone while she was returning home from college in an auto-rickshaw on October 27 (Friday). She studied at ABES Engineering College in Ghaziabad and lived in the college hostel.

Last weekend, she was travelling in an auto-rickshaw along with her college mate. She was on her way to visit her home in Hapur.

As the two accused tried to snatch her mobile phone by pulling her out, she fell from the moving auto-rickshaw and hit a road divider. She was admitted to a hospital with severe injuries on her head and was put on a ventilator.

She died on Sunday night, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ghaziabad, Vivek Chandra Yadav said.

SHO of Masoori Police Station Ravindra Chand Pant was suspended for dereliction of duty while two sub-inspectors Tanvir Alam and Punit Singh were shifted to the police lines following the incident, the DCP said.

Late on Sunday night, Ghaziabad police set up a checkpoint in the Masoori police station area and directed two persons approaching on a motorbike to stop but they began running and opened fire at the police, injuring a sub-inspector, police said.

One of them identified as Bobbil alias Balbir suffered a gunshot wound to his leg. He was arrested. The second accused, Jitendra who is a notorious criminal, fled.

In an encounter on Monday, Jitendra, sustained injuries during retaliatory firing and was rushed to a hospital where he died, police said,

Meanwhile, Kirti's father has demanded stringent punishment for the robbers.