VARANASI, June 5 -- In a series of police operations over 22 days, three hardened criminals wanted for the murders of five individuals were killed in encounters across Ghazipur, Jaunpur and Chandauli districts between May 11 and June 3, 2026, said police officials. According to officials, these operations are part of an intensified drive against organized crime in the region. Affirming the administration's "zero-tolerance" stance, Varanasi range deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, Vaibhav Krishna said: "Action is being ensured against hard-core criminals." "The drive against these criminals will continue," he added. The most recent incident occurred late Wednesday evening, June 3, in Ghazipur. Kamlesh Chaudhary, carrying a reward of Rs.1 lakh, was killed in an exchange of fire with police near the Pahari Baba Ashram in Kurtha, under the City Kotwali police station area. Chaudhary was the prime suspect in the murder of 26-year-old hotel owner Vineet Rai, who was shot dead by three bike-borne assailants last Friday night as he stepped out of his hotel in the Phullanpur-Fattehpur Sikandar area. Acting on a tip-off, police and the SWAT team cordoned off the area near the ashram. According to police reports, Chaudhary was warned to surrender but opened fire instead, injuring SWAT team in-charge Rohit Mishra. Police returned fire in self-defense, leaving Chaudhary critically injured. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead upon arrival. On May 24, Ravi Yadav, the primary suspect in the murder of a groom, was killed in an encounter near an under-construction bypass in Jaunpur. Yadav, who also carried a Rs.1 lakh reward, was intercepted during vehicle checking. He and an accomplice fled toward the bypass, where they engaged in a shootout with pursuing police teams. Yadav had been wanted for the May 1 murder of 25-year-old Azad Bind. Bind was shot dead during his own wedding procession in the Badshahi area of Jaunpur; police noted that Yadav allegedly committed the crime due to a grievance regarding the marriage. The chain of encounters began on May 11 in the Sakaldiha area of Chandauli. Gurpreet Singh (45), a suspect accused of shooting three people across the Chandauli-Varanasi region in early May, was killed while in police custody. According to Chandauli superintendent of police Akash Patel, the encounter occurred while police were transporting Singh to Dariyapur village to recreate the crime scene. Singh attempted to flee and opened fire on the team, injuring two officers. Police retaliated, and Singh succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. During interrogation prior to the encounter, Singh had confessed to the three murders, revealing he was motivated by anger after being fired from his job as a security guard in Ara, Bihar. Authorities have confirmed that separate cases under Section 103(1) (murder) have been registered regarding these incidents: two in Chandauli and one each in Ghazipur and Jaunpur. The police maintain that these actions were taken in self-defense during the pursuit of dangerous suspects....