The Uttar Pradesh government has suspended erstwhile Kanpur Senior Superintendent of Police Anant Deo Tewari after a probe by a Special Investigation Team pointed at a nexus between the police and gangster Vikas Dubey, allegedly responsible for the death of eight officers, reported the Times of India.

Deo holds the rank of a Deputy Inspector General of Police and was posted at the Provincial Armed Constabulary in Moradabad.

“Anant Deo has been suspended. The action has been taken on the basis of the SIT report,” Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi confirmed, speaking to PTI.

Eight policemen were ambushed in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh as they headed there to arrest Dubey shortly after midnight on July 3.

Dubey was shot dead by the police on July 10 when he was allegedly trying to escape from their custody.

Tewari was transferred to Moradabad on July 8 after an audio clip, suggesting his links with Dubey surfaced, according to the Times of India. The Special Investigation Team in its report suggested that he was reluctant in taking action against the gangster.

The team handed over a 3,500-word report to the state government last week, recommending action against police personnel and administration officials, according to PTI. The report carried 36 recommendations, giving details of the alleged role of some officers and 80 police personnel in the Kanpur episode.

“It came to the fore that policemen used to give tip-offs to Dubey, and on the night of the ambush he was aware that a police team was coming to Bikru,” a senior officer told the news agency.