An alleged serial killer, wanted in six murder cases in MP and Gujarat, was killed in an encounter with Ratlam police, late night on Thursday, said police.
A resident of Dahod, Gujarat, Dilip Dewal, 38, who recently killed three members of a family in Ratlam, died on the spot while five police personnel including two sub-inspectors were injured in the encounter, they added.
Ratlam superintendent of police Gaurav Tiwari said, “A special Investigation Team (SIT) of police got information on Thursday evening that Dilip was roaming near Khachrod square of the city. When police cordoned off the area and tried to nab him, he ran towards an agriculture farm. Police personnel warned him but he started firing. Police also retaliated and fired.”
After the gun battle, which lasted for a few minutes, the police team inspected the field and found Dewal had been hit in the gun fire and was lying in an unconscious state. He was rushed to a district hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, said the SP.
In the encounter, two sub-inspectors, Ayub Khan and Anurag Yadav, and three constables sustained injuries. “All the five police personnel are admitted in the district hospital where doctors are treating them,” said the SP without disclosing the nature of injuries to the cops.
A SIT was formed on Wednesday to nab Dilip after he killed three members of a family, namely Govind Solanki, his wife Sharda Solanki and daughter Divya Solanki at their Rajeev Nagar house in Ratlam on the intervening night of November 25 and 26.
His accomplices Anurag alias Bobby, Gaurav Bilwal alias Golu, both residents of Ratlam and Lala Bhabor, a resident of Dahod, Gujarat, were arrested on Wednesday.
The first case against Dewal was registered in 2009 for raping and abducting a woman in Ratlam. In 2017, he killed two people, including a high profile businessman, in Dahod, Gujarat. He was awarded life imprisonment in 2018 for killing the businessman but he jumped parole two years back. Since then, he had been staying in Ratlam with a changed name and had started looting people. In June 2020, he killed a woman and looted valuables from her house with the help of his two cousin brothers—21-years old Sumit Singh Chauhan and 27-years old Himmat Singh Dawal—who were arrested on Wednesday.
