E-Paper
Mukhtar’s close aide shot dead in broad daylight in UP’s Barabanki
Shoaib Qidwai alias Bobby was killed in a 15-round attack near Asaini turn in Barabanki; police probe gang rivalry and old enmities
Shoaib Qidwai alias Bobby, a 50-year-old lawyer described by police as a close aide of late gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, was shot dead in broad daylight on the busy Lucknow–Ayodhya highway in Barabanki district on Friday afternoon, police said. His bullet-riddled body was found on the driver’s seat of his car, they added.
According to police, Shoaib was driving his car alone when unidentified assailants intercepted the vehicle near Asaini turn under Nagar Kotwali police station limits around 1.30 pm. The attackers allegedly surrounded the car and opened indiscriminate fire from the front and side, killing him on the spot.
Additional director general of police, Lucknow zone, Praveen Kumar said preliminary examination of the crime scene suggested a coordinated assault. “The car had moved about 100 metres off the highway when the attack took place. So far, no eyewitness or CCTV footage has surfaced,” Kumar said.
“The manner of firing indicates the vehicle was surrounded and targeted from multiple directions. The post-mortem examination could ascertain the number of bullet wounds he suffered,” he added.
Kumar further said Shoaib usually did not travel alone. “It is surprising that he was alone at the time of the incident. The role of his close associates is also under scrutiny,” the ADG said, adding that multiple police teams have been deployed to crack the case.
Investigators said nearly 15 rounds were fired. More than five empty cartridges were recovered from the spot. The shooting, carried out amid regular highway traffic, triggered panic as passers-by reported hearing a rapid burst of gunfire that brought vehicles to a halt.
Forensic teams and senior officers examined the scene, while Naka checking was intensified across the district to trace the attackers. The body had been sent for a post-mortem examination and its report was awaited till the time of report filing.
1999 jailer murder accused who became a history-sheeter
The killing has once again drawn attention to Shoaib Qidwai alias Bobby’s controversial past. He had earlier been named in the 1999 murder of jail superintendent Ramakant Tiwari, who was shot dead on February 4 that year near Raj Bhavan in Lucknow.
Tiwari was returning around 7 pm after a meeting at the residence of the then district magistrate when assailants opened fire on his vehicle. The high-profile case had named Mukhtar Ansari, former MLA Abhay Singh, Chandan Negi, Bauwa Tiwari and over a dozen others.
In subsequent developments, Chandan Negi was killed in Lucknow in February 2002, while Bauwa Tiwari died in a police encounter near Kukrail in March 2002. The remaining accused, including Qidwai, were later acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Barabanki SP Arpit Vijayvargiya confirmed that Qidwai was a listed history-sheeter. “Twelve criminal cases are registered against him in Barabanki. Teams have been deployed to trace the attackers,” he said. Police believe Qidwai’s criminal record and past associations could be key to establishing the motive, with gang rivalry and old enmities among the angles being examined.
