A sharpshooter of the Mukhtar Ansari gang was killed in a police encounter that unfolded late on Saturday during a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) and the Jharkhand Police in Jamshedpur, an official said. The sharpshooter was identified as Anuj Kannaujia, 50. During the encounter, STF Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) DK Shahi sustained injuries.
“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,” said Amitabh Yash, Additional Director General (ADG) of Uttar Pradesh STF, as quoted by news agency IANS.
Kannaujia, who was on the run for more than five years, was wanted in 23 criminal cases, including murder, extortion, land grabbing, and arms smuggling. The Uttar Pradesh DGP, Prashant Kumar, recently increased his bounty from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh for any information leading to his arrest in an effort 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.
Following the encounter, police recovered two pistols, a large cache of live cartridges, and mobile phones from the site. The mobile phones are now being examined for possible leads on his criminal network, an officer privy to the probe said.
Kannaujia, a resident of Bahlolpur village in Chiraiyakot, Mau, had a long history of violent crimes and was one of the most feared operatives of the Mukhtar Ansari gang.
His criminal record spanned multiple districts, with six cases registered against him in Mau’s Kotwali police station, five in Rani Ki Sarai, two in Dakshin Tola, and three in Chiraiyakot, apart from several others in Ghazipur and Azamgarh, the official added. In recent years, police intensified efforts to crack down on Kannaujia and his associates.
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)