Chitrakoot jail shoot-out:Jail staff hand suspectedin smuggling pistol inside

Lucknow: The way notorious shooter Anshu Dixit managed to get a pistol smuggled inside Chitrakoot jail despite multiple checks at the entrance round the clock, had puzzled investigators, said senior police officials privy to the probe

Lucknow: The way notorious shooter Anshu Dixit managed to get a pistol smuggled inside Chitrakoot jail despite multiple checks at the entrance round the clock, had puzzled investigators, said senior police officials privy to the probe.

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Anshu used the pistol to kill two gangsters Mukeem alias Kala and Meraj Ahmad alias Merajudeen inside the prison before being shot dead in police firing on Friday.

The officials said preliminary investigation hinted towards the involvement of jail personnel, as no outsider was allowed inside.

To note, the family members of prisoners are not allowed to visit since the pandemic outbreak in March 2020.

The state government has already suspended jail superintendent SP Tripathi and jailor Mahendra Pal, holding them responsible for the security lapses initially and ordered departmental enquiry.

A senior official said initial probe hinted that there was only way to smuggle a firearm inside the jail: by hiding it in eatables and ration packets supplied for prisoners. He said the sequence of the incident also hinted that Dixit was provided the firearm during the breakfast hour.

“Breakfast was given to prisoners at around 9.30 am on Friday. At the same time, we heard a bullet staccato and rushed towards the high security barrack where Anshu Dixit and Meraj Ahmad were lodged together since the latter was shifted to Chitrakoot jail on May 7,” said the official, sharing the statement given by a jail guard during the probe.

The official said Anshu Dixit opened fire on Meraj Ahmad after two other inmates gave him breakfast and left his barrack.. “After shooting Meraj Ahmad, Dixit walked towards the near-by barrack where Mukeem alias Kala was lodged along with some other prisoners and shot him dead after a short conversation. Dixit was later gunned down in police firing when he held some prisoners hostage after returning to his barrack,” he said.

Planned shoot-out ?

No specific motive, unprovoked firing as well as open latches of the barrack’s gate were some points suggesting a planned shoot-out, said senior officials privy to the investigation.

“So far we are had unable to find any motive behind Anshu Dixit killing the two gangsters. No personal or gang rivalry has surfaced during the probe,” he an official said, adding, “There was nothing to suggest that Anshu was asked to eliminate the duo and was provided the firearm inside the jail.”

He said the gates of Anshu’s as well as Mukeem’s barrack were found open during the incident. He said Anshu came out of his barrack after shooting dead Meraj Ahmad and then entered Mukeem’s barrack. The question is : were the gates of the two barrack intentionally left open?

Sources also claimed that CCTV cameras installed in the gallery where the incident happened were not functional for many months. They said the investigators had not able to find any video footage of the incident that could help in solving the mystery behind the unprovoked firing by Anshu.

Anshu ensured death of both

The post-mortem examination of the bodies of the three gangsters killed in the shootout revealed that Anshu shot Meraj Ahmad thrice before pumping over 10 bullets into Mukeem’s body. He himself was later killed in police firing. The post-mortem examination revealed that Anshu suffered over 16 gunshots.

Anshu had over two dozen bullets

The investigation suggested that Anshu fired over 15 rounds of bullets to eliminate Meraj Ahmad and Mukeem and over 10 rounds when he held five prisoners hostage and police team was asking him to surrender.