Thokia, 33, who carried a cash reward of Rs 6 lakh on his head, was the most notorious dacoit of UP and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh facing 147 criminal charges including kidnapping and murder. Thokia and his gang had killed six policemen in Kusumhia forest area recently.
Based on a tip off, the STF raided the area on Sunday night where Thokia and his men were hiding. Following a two-hour gun battle the dreaded dacoit was killed but the other members of his gang managed to escape.
However, few are ready to buy the police story. Locals feel the police had managed to persuade one of Thokia's men to kill him and the STF took the credit.
STF SSP Amitabh Yash said, "We had engaged over a dozen informers, including some gang members, and they played a crucial role but Thokia was killed in an encounter."