UP STF Strikes Down Bounty Hunter Pawan Kallu in Deadly Shootout

Uttar Pradesh's battle against organized crime scored a decisive victory as STF Noida and Agra Police gunned down high-profile gangster Pawan alias Kallu in a predawn encounter on February 27, 2026. The clash in Ekta police jurisdiction left the criminal critically wounded; he breathed his last in hospital care despite frantic medical efforts.

Aged resident of Ghaziabad's Sirouli under Loni thana, Pawan carried a Rs 50,000 price on his head from Tajganj station for demanding 'rangi' (extortion). Deeper probes exposed his role as a sharpshooter for the government-flagged Randeep Bhati-Amit Kasana syndicate.

His rap sheet boasted more than 18 FIRs: four for cold-blooded murders, two for extortion, among others. A 2021 murder bounty of Rs 1 lakh led to his Delhi nab and jail term. Inside, he networked with Haryana's Himanshu Bhau gang, emerging in 2025 to unleash a wave of extortion terror.

Intel suggested Pawan was gearing up for sensational crimes in Delhi-NCR and western UP with his gang allies. The shootout recovered arms including cartridges and a pivotal 9mm pistol—looted in 2016 from Constable Monu Dhiman in Bisrakh thana, Gautam Buddh Nagar (case 247/16, IPC 279/337/392/427), during his ADJ PSO duty.

Law enforcement hailed the joint op as a testament to coordinated intelligence and swift action. With Pawan's elimination, police aim to unravel interconnected gangs threatening the heartland, bolstering security amid rising inter-state criminal alliances.