LUCKNOW, India - A notorious Indian bandit was shot dead on Thursday after a fierce 48-hour gun battle that saw him take on 400 armed police, officials said.

Ghanshyam Nishad, armed with rifles and hand grenades, was hiding in a village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh when police moved in to arrest him.

Five policemen were killed and more than a dozen wounded in the ensuing shoot-out, which only ended when police evacuated villagers from the area and set their homes on fire to smoke out the fugitive.

"We finally tracked him and killed him," senior police officer Brij Lal told AFP.

Alleged gang leader Nishad was wanted in connection with a string of murders and robberies across the state.