MEERUT: Afraid they might be shot in an encounter by UP police amid its ongoing crackdown on criminals, two repeat offenders walked around Kairana town for most of Thursday carrying placards that read: “I will not get involved in any crime in future and will work hard to earn money through fair means. Please forgive us.”

Salim Ali and Irshad Ahmad , accused in several loot and murder cases and recently released on bail, also handed over an affidavit to Shamli SP Ajay Pal Sharma with the same pledge.

“We want to turn away from crime for good though there are several cases registered against us at the Shamli and Kairana police stations. We do not want to be hunted down like other criminals. We want to live peacefully with our families,”Salim said.

Kairana station officer Bhagwat Singh said, “These two face nine cases of loot and murder each. They came out on bail a month ago.” SP Sharma said, “Salim and Irshad did meet me. It’s good if they are turning away from crime. It is for their own good. Our main goal is to ensure criminals leave a life of crime. Their pledge is a clear reflection of the fear of police, which is required for maintaining law and order. We will keep a close watch on them in any case.”

In the past six months, Sharma has earned the tag of “encounter specialist”, having gunned down close to half a dozen criminals and injured many others in Shamli. In fact, at a recent event, UP DGP OP Singh even asked him, “Aaj toh koi encounter nahi kiya? (No encounter today?)”

In Video: Amid massive crackdown by UP Police, goons are pleading for forgiveness