Gangster, aide killed in gun battle in Uttar Pradesh
By IANSWednesday, May 26, 2010
LUCKNOW - A gangster, who was a sharp shooter of mafia don Mukhtar Ansari, and his aide were killed in a gun battle with the police in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district Wednesday, an official said.
Rajesh Srivastava and his aide were shot dead while they were on their way to extort Rs.5 lakh from a businessman of Azmagarh, about 300 km from Lucknow.
“When some police officials spotted Rajesh and his aide on a motorcycle, they signalled them to stop. But the two started firing at the police team, which opened fire in retaliation and the two were shot dead,” district police chief B.S. Srivastava told reporters in Azamgarh.
“Rajesh was closely linked to the jailed Independent legislator Mukhtar Ansari. He was one of the sharp shooters of Ansari, who is in an Uttar Pradesh jail in connection with the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Krishnanand Rai,” Srivastava added.
According to the police, Rajesh had several criminal cases, including of murder, pending against him and carried a reward of Rs.30,000 for his capture.
The other criminal killed with Rajesh was yet to be identified, police said.
