Lucknow: Anuj Kanaujia, 50, a sniper of the Mukhtar Ansari gangHe was shot dead in a police meeting in Jamshedpur on Saturday night, said UPSTF.
The operation, carried out by a joint team of the Gorakhpur Unit of the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh and the Jharkhand Police, also left the Police Police Superintendent (DYSP) of STF injured.
Kanaujia, who was fleeing for more than five years, was sought in 23 criminal cases, including murders, extortion, monitoring of land and smuggling of arms. The DGP Prashant Kumar recently increased its generosity of RS 1 Lakh to RS 2.5 Lakh for any information that leads to its arrest in an effort to track it.
“The operation was launched based on specific intelligence contributions with respect to the Kanaujia movement in Jamshedpur. While the police team tried to stop him, Kanaujia opened fire, fired almost 20 rounds and even launched a bomb in an attempt to escape. This forced the security forces to take before operation.
After the meeting, the police recovered two guns, a large cache of live cartridges and mobile phones from the site. Mobile phones are now being examined to detect possible potential clients in their criminal network, said a private investigation officer.
Kanaujia, resident of the Bahlolpur village in Chiraiyakot, Mau, had a long history of violent crimes and was one of the most feared agents of the Mukhtar Ansari gang. His criminal record covered multiple districts, with six cases registered against him at the Mau Kotwali Police Station, five in Rani Ki Sarai, two in Dakshin Tola and three in Chiraiyakot, apart from several others in Ghazipur and Azamgarh, added the STF officer.
In recent years, the Police intensified the efforts to take energetic measures against Kanaujia and its associates. As part of state anti-mafia driving, the authorities demolished their home in Azamgarh using an excavator, while their family members were reserved under the Gangsters and sent to jail law, the officer added.
