Fresh recruitment in underworld after Brijesh's arrest

Lieutenants of Uttar Pradesh underworld don Brijesh Singh and his archrival Mukhtar Ansari are busy making fresh recruitment of sharpshooters.

If the details available with the Varanasi wing of the STF are to be believed, the syndicate of both the dons are being revived for a fresh battle. Major developments are taking place in UP and Bihar underworld after Brijesh's unexpected arrest.

Top UP cops are keeping a close watch on further developments after the don's arrest. The cops believe that Brijesh's confidante Tribhuvan Singh, who also carries a reward of Rs 2 lakh could land in Delhi police's net anytime. Tribhuvan Singh is also on the run for the past two decades.

Tribhuvan is the man who used to manage the criminal activities of the gang while Brijesh was handling the financial stakes.

Moreover, Mukhtar, who had grabbed the status of 'top don' after elimination of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in 2006, fears being targeted in jail by Brijesh, who had earlier succeeded in entering a jail of Eastern UP, where Mukhtar was lodged, donning the uniform of a DIG rank officer.

Sources in STF revealed that Mukhtar's sharpshooters including Sanjiv Maheshwari are presently lodged in jail and he requires a fresh team to combat Brijesh's attack.

A senior official in Lucknow police told HT requesting anonymity that Mukhtar's confidante has recently contacted ex-Lucknow University student Anshu Dixit. Anshu is on the run after shooting ex-LU student union general secretary Vinod Tripathi in Gomti Nagar area in December.

After going through Anshu's crime profile and knowing about his skill to kill, Mukhtar reportedly has offered a handsome monthly amount to the killer, the police official said. Besides, the jailed don has asked shooters from Western UP and Bihar too to stay alert for the fight.

Similar strategy is being chalked out in Brijesh's camp also. A number of new comers with criminal instinct have reportedly contacted don's close lieutenants in Varanasi seeking recruitment in the group, revealed STF sources. And, the process of scanning the profile is in progress there too.

Senior STF officials also referred the major stake of Brijesh Singh in multi-crore coal trade in Eastern UP and Dhanbad, Bihar. Brijesh's presence would affect the rival coal mafias Bachcha Singh, an influential politician of Bihar and his brother Ramadhin Singh too.