• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

In a encounter, UP Special Task Force (STF)along with Jharkhand Police killed fifty-year-old Anuj Kannaujia, a sharpshooter of the Mukhtar Ansari gang, in Jamshedpur, an official said.

However, DK Shahi, the US STF Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), was injured during the encounter. Uttar Pradesh ADG Amitabh Yash said, "STF and Jharkhand police tried to capture Anuj Kannaujia on the basis of information received, but they started firing towards the security forces. Anuj Kannaujia was killed in cross-firing."

Kannaujia, who held a bounty of Rs 2,5 lakh over his head, was on the run for more than five years and was wanted in 23 criminal cases, including murder, extortion, land grabbing, and arms smuggling.

Earlier, he had a bounty of Rs 1 lakh over his head, which was recently raised to Rs 2.5 lakh by DGP Prashant Kumar to track him down.

"The operation was launched based on specific intelligence inputs regarding Kannaujia's movement in Jamshedpur. As the police team attempted to apprehend him, Kannaujia opened fire, shooting nearly 20 rounds and even hurling a bomb in a bid to escape. This forced the security forces to retaliate, leading to a high-intensity gunfight. During the exchange of fire, DySP DK Shahi sustained a gunshot wound to his shoulder but continued leading the operation. Eventually, Kannaujia was neutralised after sustaining multiple bullet injuries. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival," Uttar Pradesh STF ADG added.

ALSO READ: Ghaziabad: Fed Up With Habit Of Cooking Food At Home, Man Kills Flatmate In Khoda, Arrested

After the encounter, police recovered a large cache of live cartridges, two pistols, and mobile phones from the site. The cell phones recovered were being examined for possible leads on his criminal network, an officer privy to the probe said.

Kannaujia was a resident of Bahlolpur village in Mau's Chiraiyakot and had a long history of violent crimes. He was one of the most feared operatives of the Mukhtar Ansari gang.

His criminal record spanned multiple districts, as in Mau Kotwali, six cases registered against him. Among other cases registered against him, five were in Rani Ki Sarai, two in Dakshin Tola, and three in Chiraiyakot, several others in Ghazipur and Azamgarh, the official added.

In recent years, UP Police intensified efforts to track him and his associates down.

As part of the statewide anti-mafia drive, authorities demolished his house in Azamgarh using a bulldozer, while his family members were booked under the Gangster Act and sent to jail, the officer said.

(With IANS Inputs)

ALSO READ: US: Plane Crashes Into Home In Minneapolis Suburb Of Brooklyn Park; All Onboard Killed | VIDEO