Six shooters involved in murder of Mukhtar Ansari’s aide, say Lucknow police

Six shooters were present at the crime scene when Ajit Singh, henchman of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, was shot dead near Kathauta crossing in Lucknow on the evening of January 6, senior police officials said on Thursday after the arrest of one of the shooters.

Ajit Singh’s accomplice Mohar Singh was injured in the shooting.

Lucknow joint commissioner of police (JCP), law and order, Nilabja Choudhury said the arrested shooter was identified as Sandip Singh alias Baba, 42, who is a history-sheeter of Chanduali district and wanted in a 2006 murder case of Kerakat in Jaunpur.

He said a reward of ₹10,000 was declared on Baba in the same case in 2018 and that he has a long criminal record since 1998 with 15 criminal cases, including four murders and two attempt to murder, registered against him.

Choudhury said Baba was arrested Thursday from his Ambedkarnagar hideout where he had reached by a roadways bus after the assassination.

He said during interrogation Baba revealed that Ajit Singh was killed at the behest of two gangsters Dhruv Kumar Singh alias Kuntoo Singh and Akhand Singh who are now lodged in Azamgarh jail.

The police officer also said that Baba further said Ajit Singh was key witness against Kuntoo Singh in the murder case of former MLA Sarvesh Singh alias Sipu Singh of Azamgarh in 2013. He said Ajit was gunned down as he refused to turn hostile in the case despite multiple threats.

A senior police official privy to the investigation, said there were two teams of shooters, with one being the backup in case the first team failed or faced any problem in executing the crime.

“Other than Baba, five others including Kanhaiya Vishwakarma alias Girdhari Sharma, Ravi Yadav, Shivendra Singh alias Ankur, Bunty alias Viru alias Mustafa and Rajesh Tomar alias Jai were present at the crime scene. One of their facilitators named Bandhan was present at some distance from the spot in a car, which was later used by four shooters to reach a flat in Alakhnanda Apartments in Gomti Nagar Extension,” Choudhury said.

“One pistol and five cartridges have been recovered from the flat on revelation made by Baba,” he said.

The JCP said one of the shooters Rajesh Tomar had suffered bullet injury in retaliatory firing by Ajit Singh’s accomplice Mohar Singh and was initially treated at the same flat by a Lucknow doctor with the help of Vipul Kumar Singh (now named facilitator) and was later taken to a Sultanpur hospital for treatment.

Another police official said the four shooters executed the crime while two shooters were present at some distance from the spot as a backup team. “The main shooter Girdhari Sharma and Ravi Yadav had left separately on two-wheelers after the incident while the four others reached the bus stand and later escaped in the car driven by Bandhan.’

Baba is the second shooter to have been arrested in the case after Girdhari was nabbed in Delhi earlier. Efforts are on to arrest the remaining four shooters and other facilitators involved in the crime.

The JCP said a reward of ₹25,000 each has been announced for the remaining four shooters and two facilitators -- Bandhan and Vipul Kumar Singh.

Lucknow Commissioner of Police (CP) DK Thakur said a former MP is still under the scanner for possible involvement since it was on his call the Sultanpur doctor got the injured shooter admitted to his hospital and treated him for two days. He said one of the facilitators Vipul Kumar Singh is a close aide of the former MP.