Lucknow, Jul 13 (IANS): The massacre of eight police personnel in Bikru village on July 3 has spurred the UP police into action and an all-out offensive against criminals has been launched in Uttar Pradesh.

The police have carried out about two dozen encounters in the past ten days in which ten criminals have been killed and 15 injured.

Hours after the July 3 Kanpur ambush in which eight policemen lost their lives, the police shot dead two criminals, allegedly involved in the incident.

Prem Prakash Pandey and Atul Dubey were killed on the outskirts of Bikru village on the same day and were relatives of the main accused Vikas Dubey.

Another Vikas Dubey accomplice Amar Dubey was shot dead by the police on July 8 in Maudaha in Hamirpur district.

On July 9, the Special Task Force (STF) shot dead Prabhat Mishra, whom they had arrested from Faridabad, a day earlier.

The STF claimed that Prabhat tried to run away when the vehicle in which he was being brought to Kanpur, got a punctured tyre. He was killed in an encounter.

On the same day, another member of the Dubey gang, Bauan Dubey was shot dead in Etawah when he did not stop for checking of vehicles.

Vikas Dubey, the main accused in the killing of policemen, was shot dead on July 10 on the outskirts of Kanpur when he allegedly tried to flee.

Apart from this, dreaded criminal Deepak Gupta was killed in an encounter in Bhadohi, Babloo was shot dead in Aligarh and in Bahraich, another criminal Panna Yadav was killed.

ADG (Law and order) Prashant Kumar said that the state government's zero tolerance policy against criminals was being strictly enforced.

"No criminal will be spared and we have identified top ten criminals in every district," he said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked police officials to initiate action against all criminals, irrespective of their political clout or influence.