Lucknow, July 9: Prabhat Mishra, one of the three men arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police for their alleged involvement in the killing of cops in Kanpur last week, was shot dead in wee hours of Thursday. A statement issued by the UP police claimed that he incurred fatal injuries on being shot while attempting to escape custody.

"Prabhat Mishra, one of the 3 men who was arrested yesterday, is dead after he was shot at by police while he tried to escape custody," said the UP ADG law and order Prashant Kumar. Gangster Vikas Dubey is COVID-19 Suspect After Aide Tests Coronavirus Positive.

The killing of Mishra comes a day after Babban Shukla, the closest aide of gangster Vikas Dubey - the kingpin behind the encounter with Kanpur police last week - was killed in an encounter with the police in Etawah region.

Update by ANI

Mishra, along with two others, was arrested on Wednesday by the police team tasked to nab all suspects involved in the killing of eight cops in Kanpur last week. According to the police, he attempted to escape the custody earlier today while being brought to Kanpur.

The initial statement issued by the police claimed that Mishra had sustained injuries on his leg and was rushed to the nearest medical facility. Shortly thereafter, he was confirmed dead by the hospital authorities.

Mishra was allegedly involved in the ambush in Kanpur on July 3, when eight policemen were killed when they attempted to arrest Vikas Dubey from Bikru village in Chaubeypur area. Since then, Dubey continues to remain absconding. A coordinated search operation is underway to trace him.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 09, 2020 08:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).