Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh), Mar 16 (IANS): A member of a gang of motorcycle thieves surrendered at the Mansoorpur police station in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, carrying a placard in his hand.

The accused has been identified as Ankur.

The placard read, "Forgive me, Yogi, I made a mistake."

Station House Officer, Rajat Tyagi, said, "The accused reached the police station on Wednesday with the village chief and members of his family, fearing an encounter. He also sought forgiveness and pledged that he would never commit any crime again. He has been taken into custody and sent to jail. He is wanted in several cases, including attempted murder (IPC section 307) and loot (IPC section 390)."

This comes a day after an encounter between the police and his gang.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Khatauli), Ravi Shankar Mishra, said, "While two members of the notorious gang were arrested on Tuesday, one of them had managed to escape. We have recovered three bikes and illegal weapons from the accused. Further investigation is underway in the matter."

There have been more than 9,000 encounters in Uttar Pradesh since Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath came to power, with nearly 160 suspected criminals being killed in them, as per police records.