Tag: UP Murder

  • Another killing in UP’s jungle raj: Mukhtar Ansari’s gang member shot dead in Lucknow court

    ENS & Agencies

    LUCKNOW: Jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s aide Sanjeev Maheshwari alias Sanjeev Jeeva was shot dead in police custody by unknown assailants on the premises of a court in Lucknow on Wednesday.

    Jeeva, who is serving a life imprisonment in Barabanki jail, was shot dead by unknown assailants dressed as lawyers. The incident took place when he brought to the court for a hearing on an attempt to murder case from 2015. 

    As per the eyewitnesses, four assailants fired around five to 6 rounds at Jeeva during which an 18-month-old baby girl on her mother’s lap and a police constable sustained injury from stray bullets fired during the assassination bid.

    “During the shootout, an 18-month infant, Laxmi, accompanying her parents and a police constable suffered bullet injuries. Their condition was stated to be stable,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Aparna Rajat Kaushik.

     Police nab an assailant who shot at Sanjeev Jeeva. (Photo | PTI)Lawyers at the crime scene caught hold of one of the assailants and handed him over to the police. He was identified as Vijay Yadav of Jaunpur. However, the other three shooters had fled the spot.

    The shooting incident also sparked resentment among the lawyers who staged a protest against the state police, accusing it of failing to ensure law and order and beefing up stricter security arrangements.

    A lawyer alleged that the policemen escorting Jeeva had fled the scene when shots were fired at him and that they took it upon themselves to overpower one of the assailants.

    An eyewitness said, “as Jeeva was heading towards the court, a man in a lawyer’s robe, standing outside the courtroom’s entrance, opened fire at him. Jeeva, who was hit by the bullet, ran towards the courtroom but slumped to the ground.”

    The incident comes hardly two months after gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were gunned down by three assailants while being taken in police custody to a hospital for medical examination in Prayagraj on April 15.

    The state government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe Jeeva’s killing and security lapses on the part of cops accompanying the gangster. 

    The SIT, which has been asked to complete the probe within a week, will be headed by ADG (Technical) Mohit Agarwal, government officials said, adding that other members of the team are IPS officer Neelabja Chowdhary and IG (Ayodhya range) Praveen Kumar.

    A life convict with 24 cases to his name

    Jeeva, originally from Muzaffarnagar, had links with several gangs and committed various crimes over a span of three decades. Although he started his journey as a compounder at a dispensary, he made his entry into the dark alleys of crime by abducting the owner of the dispensary. Subsequently, he joined the Nazim gang of Haridwar, and later, the Satendra Barnala gang.

    Sanjeev Jeeva. (File Photo | ANI)As per the police sources, Jeeva was one of the main accused of the murder of veteran BJP leader Brahma Dutt Dwivedi in Farrukhabad on February 10, 1997. A trial court on July 17, 2003, convicted him for commissioning the killing of Dwivedi and his gunner and also committing a murderous assault on his driver. The court had sentenced Jeeva to life imprisonment in the case.

    He also worked closely with gangster Mukhtar Ansari’s henchman Munna Bajrangi, and later, with Mukhtar Ansari himself as his main shooter. He was an accused in the 2005 murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in Ghazipur.

    According to UP Police, Jeeva, who was booked in Gangster Act 22 times, had  24 cases registered against him in different police stations across Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Farrukhabad, Ghazipur, and Haridwar. His gang had been involved in murders, loot, extortion, kidnapping, robbery and cheating. His property worth Rs 4 crore was also confiscated under provisions of the Gangster Act.

    Jeeva’s wife, Payal, had contested assembly elections in 2017 on the RLD ticket but lost. In 2021, Payal had written a letter to the then Chief Justice of India expressing fear for Jeeva’s life.

    ‘People are not safe anywhere in UP’

    Meanwhile, opposition parties have hit out at the government over Wednesday’s incident. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at a press conference here in the evening said that the law and order situation in the state has worsened.

    “It seems that the BJP government has given a free hand to criminals who kill whomever they want, wherever they want. Murders are happening in police custody, police station and court. People are not safe anywhere in Uttar Pradesh,” said the former chief minister.

    Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati tweeted in Hindi, “The sensational shooting that resulted in a murder inside the Lucknow court premises is a big challenge for the government in terms of law and order and crime control in UP. There is panic among the public due to such incidents. Government should take strict steps, this is the demand of BSP.”

    Killings outside courtrooms

    Jeeva’s killing is just one of many such incidents to take place outside a courtroom in the state. Here’s a list of prominent Court killings in Uttar Pradesh since 2015

    May 16, 2023: Two men accused of murder were shot at by two assailants when they were brought to a court in Jaunpur.

    Aug 17, 2022: A murder accused, serving a prison term in Faridabad jail in connection with another case, was shot dead by three men on motorbikes outside the gate of the Hapur district court.

    Dec 17, 2019: A man accused of a double murder was shot dead inside a courtroom in Bijnor when court proceedings were underway.

    June 13 2019: Chairperson of the UP Bar Council Darvesh Kumari Yadav (36) was shot dead by a colleague in her chamber on the court premises in Agra. 

    Feb 16, 2015: A boy entered a Muzaffarnagar courtroom and opened fire on an under-trial in front of a district judge. 

    (With additional inputs from PTI) 

    LUCKNOW: Jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s aide Sanjeev Maheshwari alias Sanjeev Jeeva was shot dead in police custody by unknown assailants on the premises of a court in Lucknow on Wednesday.

    Jeeva, who is serving a life imprisonment in Barabanki jail, was shot dead by unknown assailants dressed as lawyers. The incident took place when he brought to the court for a hearing on an attempt to murder case from 2015. 

    As per the eyewitnesses, four assailants fired around five to 6 rounds at Jeeva during which an 18-month-old baby girl on her mother’s lap and a police constable sustained injury from stray bullets fired during the assassination bid.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “During the shootout, an 18-month infant, Laxmi, accompanying her parents and a police constable suffered bullet injuries. Their condition was stated to be stable,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Aparna Rajat Kaushik.

     Police nab an assailant who shot at Sanjeev Jeeva. (Photo | PTI)Lawyers at the crime scene caught hold of one of the assailants and handed him over to the police. He was identified as Vijay Yadav of Jaunpur. However, the other three shooters had fled the spot.

    The shooting incident also sparked resentment among the lawyers who staged a protest against the state police, accusing it of failing to ensure law and order and beefing up stricter security arrangements.

    A lawyer alleged that the policemen escorting Jeeva had fled the scene when shots were fired at him and that they took it upon themselves to overpower one of the assailants.

    An eyewitness said, “as Jeeva was heading towards the court, a man in a lawyer’s robe, standing outside the courtroom’s entrance, opened fire at him. Jeeva, who was hit by the bullet, ran towards the courtroom but slumped to the ground.”

    The incident comes hardly two months after gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were gunned down by three assailants while being taken in police custody to a hospital for medical examination in Prayagraj on April 15.

    The state government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe Jeeva’s killing and security lapses on the part of cops accompanying the gangster. 

    The SIT, which has been asked to complete the probe within a week, will be headed by ADG (Technical) Mohit Agarwal, government officials said, adding that other members of the team are IPS officer Neelabja Chowdhary and IG (Ayodhya range) Praveen Kumar.

    A life convict with 24 cases to his name

    Jeeva, originally from Muzaffarnagar, had links with several gangs and committed various crimes over a span of three decades. Although he started his journey as a compounder at a dispensary, he made his entry into the dark alleys of crime by abducting the owner of the dispensary. Subsequently, he joined the Nazim gang of Haridwar, and later, the Satendra Barnala gang.

    Sanjeev Jeeva. (File Photo | ANI)As per the police sources, Jeeva was one of the main accused of the murder of veteran BJP leader Brahma Dutt Dwivedi in Farrukhabad on February 10, 1997. A trial court on July 17, 2003, convicted him for commissioning the killing of Dwivedi and his gunner and also committing a murderous assault on his driver. The court had sentenced Jeeva to life imprisonment in the case.

    He also worked closely with gangster Mukhtar Ansari’s henchman Munna Bajrangi, and later, with Mukhtar Ansari himself as his main shooter. He was an accused in the 2005 murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in Ghazipur.

    According to UP Police, Jeeva, who was booked in Gangster Act 22 times, had  24 cases registered against him in different police stations across Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Farrukhabad, Ghazipur, and Haridwar. His gang had been involved in murders, loot, extortion, kidnapping, robbery and cheating. His property worth Rs 4 crore was also confiscated under provisions of the Gangster Act.

    Jeeva’s wife, Payal, had contested assembly elections in 2017 on the RLD ticket but lost. In 2021, Payal had written a letter to the then Chief Justice of India expressing fear for Jeeva’s life.

    ‘People are not safe anywhere in UP’

    Meanwhile, opposition parties have hit out at the government over Wednesday’s incident. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at a press conference here in the evening said that the law and order situation in the state has worsened.

    “It seems that the BJP government has given a free hand to criminals who kill whomever they want, wherever they want. Murders are happening in police custody, police station and court. People are not safe anywhere in Uttar Pradesh,” said the former chief minister.

    Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati tweeted in Hindi, “The sensational shooting that resulted in a murder inside the Lucknow court premises is a big challenge for the government in terms of law and order and crime control in UP. There is panic among the public due to such incidents. Government should take strict steps, this is the demand of BSP.”

    Killings outside courtrooms

    Jeeva’s killing is just one of many such incidents to take place outside a courtroom in the state. Here’s a list of prominent Court killings in Uttar Pradesh since 2015

    May 16, 2023: Two men accused of murder were shot at by two assailants when they were brought to a court in Jaunpur.

    Aug 17, 2022: A murder accused, serving a prison term in Faridabad jail in connection with another case, was shot dead by three men on motorbikes outside the gate of the Hapur district court.

    Dec 17, 2019: A man accused of a double murder was shot dead inside a courtroom in Bijnor when court proceedings were underway.

    June 13 2019: Chairperson of the UP Bar Council Darvesh Kumari Yadav (36) was shot dead by a colleague in her chamber on the court premises in Agra. 

    Feb 16, 2015: A boy entered a Muzaffarnagar courtroom and opened fire on an under-trial in front of a district judge. 

    (With additional inputs from PTI) 

  • Kanpur: Samajwadi Party youth wing office-bearer shot dead, accused arrested

    By PTI

    KANPUR: A young Samajwadi Party office bearer was shot dead allegedly by a fellow party affiliate in Barra area here, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

    The incident took place on on Friday evening and the deceased person has been identified as Harsh Yadav (20), a law student and resident of Damodar Nagar in Barra.

    Yadav was recently made the district vice-president of Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha of Kanpur Dehat, said an official.

    Police, however, claimed to have arrested prime accused Shivendra Singh (23), who has an affiliation with the SP, on Saturday morning in an encounter.

    Kanpur Police Commissioner Asim Arun said the accused confessed to his crime during interrogation.

    Singh and Yadav had gone together outside for drinks and they fought over some issues related to liquor.

    An angry Singh took out an illegal pistol in his possession and fired at Harsh, who sustained bullet injuries on his head, forehead and stomach, resulting in his death, police said.

  • Minor girl beaten to death over insistence to wear jeans in Uttar Pradesh

    By PTI
    DEORIA (Uttar Pradesh): A teenage girl died after she was allegedly thrashed by her family members over her insistence to wear jeans at a village here, police said on Thursday.

    Family members have also been accused of trying to dispose of the body by throwing it from over the Patanwa bridge on the Deoria-Kasya here but it got stuck in its railing and was spotted by police later.

    The 17-year-old girl from Savreji Kharg village was severely thrashed by her family members after she insisted on wearing jeans and a top on Monday.

    According to the complaint given by her mother, the girl received serious head injuries when she was beaten up, leading to her death, Circle Officer (City) Yash Tripathi said.

    The post-mortem examination has also confirmed severe injury and fracture in the head, the CO said.

    The girl’s mother has given a complaint against 10 people, including grandparents.

    The case has been registered case under Sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), 302 (punishment for murder) and other provisions of the IPC, Mahuadih SHO Ram Mohan Singh said.

    The grandparents have been taken into custody and are being interrogated.

    Police, however, said the story of family members being angry over her insistence on wearing jeans is not very convincing.

    The reason for the incident appears to be something else, which the family members are trying to hide and investigations are on, police said.

  • Man charged under NSA for kidnap-murder of boy in Uttar Pradesh

    By PTI
    BAHRAICH: The authorities have slapped charges under the stringent National Security Act on a man for allegedly kidnapping a 12-year-old boy for ransom and subsequently killing him in Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh last year, police said on Sunday.

    The district administration had invoked charges under the NSA against Hasan Mohammad in February, the police said.

    Under the NSA, one can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months if the authorities are satisfied that the person is a threat to national security or law and order.

    According to Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Ashok Kumar, accused Hasan Mohammad, his son Kaleem and four other family members had abducted the 12-year-old boy on October 29 last year when he was going to coaching classes.

    They had demanded a ransom of Rs 30 lakh from the family of the boy, a resident of Majhauli village in the Matera police station area.

    The accused later killed the boy and threw his body in a canal.

    On a complaint lodged by the boy’s father, a case was registered against Hasan, his son Kaleem and four other family members, including three women.

    Police said the boy was kidnapped and killed days after his father had objected to Kaleem not undergoing quarantine as required under the coronavirus guidelines following his return from Mumbai where he used to run a food stall.

    Authorities sent Kaleem to quarantine after a complaint was received from the boy’s father which angered him and his family, the police said.

  • UP man kills 17-year-old daughter over love affair, carries severed head to police station

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: In a shocking incident of alleged honour killing, a man beheaded his minor daughter and reached the police station with her severed head to surrender before cops in Hardoi district late on Wednesday night.

    As per police sources, the man got infuriated over his daughter’s alleged love affair with a youth whom he detested.

    According to Hardoi SP Anurag Vats, the accused, Sarvesh Kumar of Pandeytara village under Majhila police station, was arrested.

    Police sources claimed that Sarvesh, a vegetable vendor, had spotted his daughter, 17, in a compromising position with a youth Adesh, a distant cousin of the victim, a few days back. He had then made up his mind to kill both. “Sarvesh’s wife has also testified this in her statement to the police,” the SP said.

    According to police, Sarvesh reached home around 3 pm on Wednesday and beheaded his daughter with a chopper.

    Panic gripped the area when the vegetable vendor walked down to Majhila police station, about 2 km away from his village, holding the girl’s severed head in his hand with blood trickling down. He had left the body of his daughter bleeding at home.

    But before he could reach the police station, a policeman stopped him and was shocked to see him carrying a severed head in his hands. On being asked, Sarvesh told the cop that he had beheaded his daughter and was going to the police station to surrender. “We have recovered the beheaded body and weapon used in the crime. The accused has been arrested for the murder of his daughter,” said the Superintendent of Police Anurag Vats.

    The cops added that the girl was studying in Class 12 and was the eldest among her four siblings– three sisters and a brother.

    Meanwhile, a video of a police constable holding the head of the girl went viral on social media, following which IG Lucknow range, Laxmi Singh took cognisance and suspended the constable deployed at Mahila police station. She said that the responsibility of the police was to maintain law and order and they also must carry themselves in a disciplined manner. “The constable was holding the beheaded girl’s head and taking a stroll in the police station,” she said.

  • Villagers clash with UP cops after teenage Dalit girl’s body found in field

    By PTI
    ALIGARH: The body of a 16-year-old Dalit girl was found in a field in the Akrabad area here, following which villagers clashed with police and indulged in stone-pelting, police said on Monday.

    The girl had gone to the fields Sunday afternoon to collect fodder for cattle but did not return.

    Later, her body was found in a field when her family members started searching for her, they said Police said prima facie it appeared that she was strangled.

    As the news spread, irate villagers pelted stones at a police party which was trying to take the body for post-mortem, they said.

    Inspector Pranendra Kumar was injured in the attack, police added.

    Senior Superintendent of Police Muniraj G told reporters late Sunday night that senior police officials rushed to the spot and pacified the villagers who then handed over the body to policemen.

    He said allegations that the victim was sexually assaulted are being probed.

    Everything will be clear when the post-mortem report is received, the SP added.

  • Psychology student opens fire at college friends in Jhansi, one succumbs

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: In a horrific incident, a postgraduate student, 24, shot dead a classmate and critically injured another on Friday. All three were first-year Psychology PG students at Bundelkhand Degree College..The incident took place on the college premises during the day while the classes were going on. As per the local sources, the accused Manthan Singh Senger, who was carrying a pistol entered the class and shot at his friend Hukmendra Singh Gurjar, 22, from behind on his head while he was studying. After shooting Gurjar, the accused in a dramatic way wrote on the blackboard ‘Manthan Finished’.

    Later, on he went to Godu Compound locality falling under the Sipree Bazar area where he shot Kritika Trivedi, 22, who was sitting in front of her house along with her grandmother. On hearing the gunshot, Kritika’s relatives and neighbours rushed out of the houses and overpowered the accused. Theytied him up at an electric pole before informing the police.

    Later, as the police arrived, they arrested Manthan while both the victims were rushed to Jhansi Medical College where Kritika succumbed. Hukumendra, who is battling for life, was taken to Delhi for further treatment.

    As per the police sources, while Manthan belonged to Niwari district of MP, Hukmendra and Kritika belonged to Jhansi. All three were close acquaintances and knew each other since 2016. Hukumendra’s uncle Sanjay Singh, who is a clerk in the same college, claimed that both the boys were good friends. 

    SSP Jhansi Dinesh Kumar P also confirmed a close friendship between the accused and the victims and said that he had developed some misunderstanding with the two. Hhe had a suspicion that Hukmendra was spreading some rumours about him.

    The accused had allegedly come prepared to shoot both of them and acted accordingly, claimed the SSP. “We have booked the accused under murder charges including attempt to murder. We have recovered the murder weapon which is 0.32 bore country made gun and the probe into the matter is on,”  said the cop. 

  • UP man gets seven years in jail for murdering wife for dowry

    By PTI
    PRATAPGARH: A local court has sentenced a man and his parents to seven-year imprisonment for killing his wife for dowry in 2014.

    Additional Sessions Judge Santosh Kumar Tiwari awarded the sentence on Wednesday to Sanjay Shukla, his father Radhey Shyam, mother Gayatri Devi and three others identified as Vijay Shukla, Ajay and Rajesh.

    Sadhna was killed on March 31, 2014 following which a dowry death case was registered by her father.