Slain sharpshooter of Mukhtar gang had planned to target trader leader in Lucknow

Ali Sher’s name came to fore in six murders and many cases of attempt to murder between 2002 and 2021, says STF official

LUCKNOW Dreaded sharpshooter of Mukhtar Ansari gang, Ali Sher, 34, who along with his accomplice Kamran, was gunned down by the UP Special Task Force (STF) in Lucknow’s Madiaon area on Wednesday night, had a 24-year-long criminal history, said police.

Ali Sher entered into the crime world after a case of rioting and criminal intimidation was registered against him in a clash with some people of his native village Bairideeh in Azamgarh in January 1997 (Pic for representation)

The sharpshooter’s mobile records also revealed that he was planning to target a trader leader in Lucknow.

Ali Sher’s name surfaced in 20 criminal cases, including the murder of politician, Jeetram Munda, in Ranchi district of Jharkhand, said an STF official. Munda, a BJP leader, was shot dead in a hotel in Ranchi on September 22, after which the police declared a reward of ₹1 lakh on Ali Sher’s head.

The official said Ali Sher entered into the crime world after a case of rioting, and criminal intimidation was registered against him in a clash with some people of his native village Bairideeh in Azamgarh in January 1997.

“Between 1997 and 2002, seven cases were registered against him at Devgaon police station in Azamgarh before his name surfaced in the murder of a contractor in Bardah area of Azamgarh. Thereafter, Ali Sher got the patronage of jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and he emerged as one of the dreaded shooters the latter’s gang,” he said.

The official said Ali Sher’s name came to fore in six murders and many cases of attempt to murder between 2002 and 2021. As many as 20 criminal cases were registered against him Azamgarh, Mau and Ranchi (Jharkhand) between 1997 and 2021.