Patna, Feb. 9: Vicky Thakur, the gangster behind the abduction of teenager Kislay Kaushal, was shot dead in an encounter with the police early this morning.

Following a tip from their counterparts in Delhi, a special police team led by deputy superintendents Arshad Jaman and Dilnawaz Ahmad intercepted Vicky near the airport around 3 am.

?On spotting him, we ordered him to surrender. But he and an associate started firing at us while fleeing on a motorcycle. Vicky was killed but the associate escaped,? said Jaman.

Ahmad, a deputy superintendent from Danapur, and two other policemen incurred minor injuries in the firing by Vicky.

The police claimed to have recovered arms and ammunition from the spot, including a carbine and some live cartridges, besides some papers containing ?vital? information.

Three cellphones were seized. According to the Delhi police, Vicky had been in the national capital from January 28 to February 7.

?After we tipped them off, the Delhi police laid their hands on the gang and nabbed three gangsters on Monday night. Vicky, the main suspect, however, escaped. But information from Delhi helped us trace Vicky in Patna. He had apparently taken a train for Patna before the Delhi police could reach him,? superintendent of police (city) Shalin said.

The Patna police are now sure that the abduction was carried out by Vicky on behalf of Chunnu Thakur, the key conspirator locked up in Hajipur jail.

Kislay, a Class XI student DPS, was recovered on February 2, a day before the first phase of polling, from a village near Patna after the abductors allegedly brought him and left him there under police pressure. The boy was kidnapped on January 19.

?We continued our investigation even after the boy was recovered and gained vital leads. The success of our operation is the outcome of our coordination with the Delhi police,? senior superintendent of police N.H. Khan said.

?The three men arrested in Delhi are being brought to Patna. We will interrogate them here,? he added.

The abduction had become a hot political issue for the RJD government following massive protests by students. However, Vicky?s killing could trigger a fresh debate before the second phase of polling on February 15.

?How come Vicky was killed but his associate managed to escape, in spite of being surrounded by a huge police force? If Vicky were caught alive, he would have exposed the role of many politicians in the Kislay affair. Instead, the police can now concoct a theory to show a conspiracy by the Opposition parties,? an NDA leader said on condition of anonymity.