Six bullets, two in head: How HC-acquitted accused in Rampur CRPF attack case was killed

A panel of two doctors conducted the post-mortem examination on Wednesday. Rampur police also registered an FIR on Wednesday for murder against unidentified assailants at Khajuria police station, located near the Rampur-Bareilly border and the Uttarakhand boundary. They formed six teams, including personnel from the Special Operations Group (SOG) and surveillance unit, to identify the attackers and establish the motive, officials said.

Mohammad Sharif alias Sohail, an accused in the 2007 Rampur CRPF Group Centre attack who was acquitted of the principal charges by the Allahabad high court, was shot six times — twice in the head and four times in the abdomen — according to sources familiar with his post-mortem examination.

Six teams, including personnel from the SOG and surveillance unit, have been formed to identify the attackers and establish the motive. (For representation)

A panel of two doctors conducted the post-mortem examination on Wednesday. Rampur police also registered an FIR on Wednesday for murder against unidentified assailants at Khajuria police station, located near the Rampur-Bareilly border and the Uttarakhand boundary. They formed six teams, including personnel from the Special Operations Group (SOG) and surveillance unit, to identify the attackers and establish the motive, officials said.

Police are examining CCTV footage from the area, collecting forensic evidence and tracing the assailants’ movements. They are also verifying a claim of responsibility posted on X by a person identifying himself as Rahul Singh. The post claimed that Sharif was killed to avenge the deaths of seven security personnel in the 2007 attack and threatened others allegedly involved in the case. Police have yet to authenticate the claim or establish the account holder’s identity.

Sharif, 54, was returning to his village with his son on a motorcycle on Tuesday evening when two men on another motorcycle allegedly approached from behind and opened fire near Panwaria turn, around 500 metres from Khajuria police station. He was taken to the community health centre in Bilaspur, where doctors declared him dead.

His son, who was riding the motorcycle with him, escaped unhurt.

According to police, investigators are examining possible motives. No known personal enmity or property dispute has emerged so far. Police are also looking into whether the murder was linked to Sharif’s past involvement in the CRPF attack case or stemmed from another dispute.

Rampur superintendent of police (SP) Anil Singh said police had inspected the crime scene and were examining CCTV footage from nearby locations. He said six teams had been assigned different aspects of the investigation to identify and trace the assailants.

The killing has also prompted the Rihai Manch to raise questions about the circumstances in which Sharif was allegedly called to Khajuria police station shortly before the shooting.

Organisation president advocate Mohammad Shoaib, who represented Sharif in the CRPF attack case, said Sharif’s brother Shaheen had told him that police repeatedly called Sharif on Tuesday for verification. He allegedly reached the police station around 4.30 pm but found SHO Manoj Kumar Pandey and constable Bunty, who had summoned him, absent.

Shoaib said Sharif waited until around 5.30 pm, when policemen present at the station asked him to return later. He was shot dead shortly after leaving, barely 500 metres away, Shoaib claimed. The Rihai Manch has demanded an impartial probe, questioning the absence of the two policemen and how the assailants could have known when Sharif was leaving the station. These claims are yet to be independently established.

Sharif had spent nearly 17 years in prison in connection with the CRPF attack case. In October 2025, the Allahabad high court acquitted him and four other accused of the principal charges but upheld their convictions under the Arms Act, sentencing them to 10 years in prison. He was released from Bareilly jail on November 10, 2025, after the period already spent in custody was adjusted against his sentence.

The Uttar Pradesh government challenged the acquittal in the Supreme Court, which issued notice on its petition. The challenge was pending when Sharif was killed.

The CRPF Group Centre attack took place on the intervening night of December 31, 2007, and January 1, 2008. Seven security personnel and a civilian were killed when armed assailants stormed the facility.