The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police's crackdown on criminals has started showing results. After several criminals getting killed or arrested in encounters, others have started surrendering before the police to avoid encounters.

Buoyed by the positive development, the UP Police today posted a tweet. Perhaps, inspired by a famous one-liner from Salman Khan-starrer Dabbang, the tweet said, "Police se nahin, crime se darr lagta hai sahib (We fear not the police but are afraid of committing crime)."

An absconding criminal, wanted for looting cash from bank employees in Shamli, surrendered in the Charthawal police station of Muzaffarnagar. The criminal, Deepak, reached the police station with an unlicenced pistol and surrendered himself to law.

Deepak was one of the four criminals who had looted bank employees of Rs 1.67 lakh in November. All the four had fled after committing the crime.

The police arrested three of the criminals. All three of them had got injured during the encounter with the police. The three are now lodged in jail.

Deepak apprehended that he would meet the same fate as three of his partners in crime. Fearing for his life, he reached the police station and surrendered before the cops.

Similarly, two criminals, both of them brothers, met the Samli SP and gave an undertaking that they would not indulge in any criminal activity. The two criminals - Irshad and Salim alias Baba - who had been released from jail recently, later roamed around in the main market with placards hanging from their neck and affirming their faith in law.

On February 15, dreaded criminals Irshad and Salim met Kairana SP Ajay Sharma and submitted an undertaking in writing pledging that they had quit crime. The two subsequently took a round of the market with placards stating that they would lead a peaceful life and earn their livelihood by doing hard work to take care of their families.

Emulating the two brothers, two more criminals - Sarwar and Ghayoor - reached the Kairana police station and avowed not to indulge in criminal activities.

The latest development is likely to instill a sense of safety and security among the general public.

The surrender by criminals is a result of the drive launched against the criminals by the UP Police ever since OP Singh took over as the UP DGP on January 23. Singh has given a clear instruction to the police to take tough action against the criminals in the state.

Around 24 criminals were arrested and one gangster was killed in 15 police encounters spread across 10 districts in just 48 hours in the first week of this month.

Gangster Inderpal, who carried a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head, was gunned down by the Special Task Force in the encounter in Naglakhepad jungle on February 2.

In those 48 hours, encounters took place in Bulandshahr, Shamli, Kanpur, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Gorkahpur, Hapur and Meerut.

While the encounters continue, the criminals have now started to feel its impact. They are lining up to surrender instead of getting killed or injured in police encounters.

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