The nine police officials, who have been booked, are Sub-Inspectors Vijay Shankar Sharma, RD Maurya, Paramhans Kannojia, Rahul Yadav and Constables Fazal Haz Usmani, GN Bhatt, Brahmdev Yadav, Shailendra Shukla and Shankar Yadav.

The case was registered following the court’s order on a petition filed by the victim’s mother Champa Devi, who had claimed that her son was abducted by policemen and then killed.

She also told the court that she had informed top police officials about a conspiracy being hatched by some local policemen to kill her son.

Local policemen claimed to have killed Shiv Kumar, a criminal who was carrying a reward of Rs 5,000, in an encounter near Van Vihar under Walterganj police circle.

Police from Hariya, Murderva and Walterganj police stations conducted a joint operation after they were tipped off that Kumar was planning a robbery. During a mid-night operation, the team gunned down Kumar. His associates, however, managed to escape. Later, Kumar’s mother moved court and alleged that it was a fake encounter.

She claimed that the police picked up her son from his house two days before he was killed in the “encounter”.

Devi also sent telegrams to many senior police officials and the Human Right Commission stating police’s atrocities.

“Devi stated in her complaint that she had hinted at the possibility of an encounter two days before the incident took place,” said Sub-Inspector K K Pandey of Kotwali police.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate MP Singh Yadav then ordered the Basti police to register an FIR. Basti Additional Superintendent of Police A K Shukla, however, said the said encounter was not a fake one.