Jeetu Saini, the main accused in the Bulandshahr triple murder case, was shot dead in a police encounter on Thursday morning. Two police personnel from the SWAT team were injured in the exchange of fire.
According to police, a fierce encounter occurred between the police and the SWAT team with criminals on Dhakar Road in the Sikandar Pur area of Bulandshahr when a team intercepted Jeetu Saini, who was riding a scooter without a number plate. Jeetu allegedly opened fire on the officers during the operation. In retaliatory firing in self-defence, Jeetu sustained multiple bullet injuries.
He was rushed to nearby Jatiya Hospital in an injured condition. From there, he was referred to the district hospital after his condition deteriorated, where he died during treatment. Jeetu Saini, a resident of Khurja Nagar and operator of RJS Fitness Gym, carried a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head. Jeetu Saini was a member of BSP and was a former BSP city president.
An illegal .32 bore pistol, cartridges, live rounds, empty shells, and a country-made firearm were recovered from the spot, along with the scooter. Inspector Mohammad Aslam and Head Constable Mohit Malik of the SWAT team were injured in the shootout and are undergoing treatment. Bullets stuck the bulletproof jackets of two other constables, Ramphal and Kapil.
Bulandshahr SP Dinesh Kumar Singh said six police teams were conducting raids in search of the accused. During the operation, a police team signalled to two men travelling on a scooter to stop. On seeing the police, they tried to flee and then opened fire at the police team. In a retaliatory firing by police, Jeetu was seriously injured and later died in hospital.
The encounter comes days after Jeetu Saini and his accomplices allegedly carried out the triple murder on the night of April 25-26 at his own birthday celebration inside RJS Fitness Gym on Subhash Marg in Bulandshahr. A light-hearted moment turned deadly when some guests jokingly smeared cake on Jeetu Saini’s face during the party.
An argument erupted as a result of this, after which Jeetu allegedly fetched a firearm and opened fire, killing three members of the same family, all regular gym-goers and relatives of a local BJP councillor. The victims were identified as Amar Saini (26), Manish Saini (23), and Akash Saini (22). All three were shot in the head and died on the spot. They were relatives of BJP councillor Sanjay Saini, Manish was Sanjay’s brother, Akash was his nephew, and Amardeep was his cousin.
Police said seven people, including Jeetu, were named as accused in the case. Some accomplices, including Mayank Saini, Naresh Saini, and Rupesh Saini, have been arrested earlier. In a separate incident a few days ago, two accused, Rinku and Bharat, were injured in another police operation. Rinku was shot in the right leg and Bharat in the left leg. The police had recovered the DVR of the CCTV footage of the crime scene, an illegal pistol, a revolver and cartridges from the accused after that operation. Another accused, Mayank Saini, is also arrested by the police.
Bulandshahr police have described the encounter as an act of self-defence during an attempt to apprehend the absconding main accused. Further investigation is underway. The gym where the murders took place has reportedly been sealed, and local authorities are continuing action against those involved. Three of the accused have already been jailed, and police are searching for the remaining accused.
