Slain gangster Anuj Kanaujia was wanted in 23 criminal cases UP Police

Lucknow, Mar 30 (PTI) Gangster and shooter Anuj Kanaujia, who was killed in an encounter in Jamshedpur by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Jharkhand Police had spread terror in eastern Uttar Pradesh for over two decades, police said.
    Kanaujia, who carried a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh, was killed in the encounter on Saturday night.
    Additional Director General (Law and Order and STF) Amitabh Yash said that Kanaujia, a key sharpshooter of the Mukhtar Ansari gang, was neutralised after exchange of heavy gunfire between the police and the gangster.
    The 42-year-old Kanaujia, a resident of Bahlolpur village in Chiraiyakot police station area of Mau district, committed his first murder in 2003 in Ranipur police station area of the same district.
    Over the years, he became infamous for several criminal activities, including murder, attempted murder, and extortion. A total of 23 criminal cases, including under the Gangster Act, murder, attempt to murder were registered against him across Mau, Ghazipur, and Azamgarh districts.
    Yash said during the encounter, police recovered two pistols—one 9mm and one .32 bore—from Kanaujia.
     9mm pistols are commonly used by police and military forces.
    Incidentally, Kanaujia met his end on the first death anniversary of Mukhtar Ansari, the very gangster under whose shadow he rose to power in the criminal world, the STF said.
    Ansari (63), a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar, passed away on March 28, 2024, in a Banda hospital due to an alleged cardiac arrest while lodged in Banda district jail.
    Police sources said Kanaujia initially entered the world of crime due to personal enmity in his village.
    Ansari provided him protection, and he soon became a feared sharpshooter in the gang.
    His notoriety grew as he extorted money from businessmen in Mau and surrounding districts.
    His wife, Reena, and a relative, Shivratan, who assisted him in extortion activities, were arrested in Jamshedpur nearly two years ago.
    Since 2022, Kanaujia had been residing in Jamshedpur with his wife.
    However, following her arrest, he temporarily left the city before returning under a different identity.He managed to evade police capture by frequently changing locations, taking refuge in cities across Bihar and Jharkhand.
    Apart from extortion, he was also involved in securing commissions from contract deals.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)