LUCKNOW: Dreaded gangster and mafia don Prem Prakash Singh alias Munna Bajrangi was shot dead on Baghpat jail premises by another gangster Sunil Rathi early Monday morning.
Notably, Bajrangi's wife Seema Singh had claimed at a press conference on June 29 that there was a threat to the life of mafia don. Calling the killing on jail premises a very serious issue, CM Yogi Adityanath ordered a judicial probe into the incident and assured of strictest action against those found guilty of security lapses in jail.
While Baghpat jail administration filed an FIR against Sunil Rahti under various sections of IPC, four jail officials, including Jailor Udai Pratap Singh, Deputy Jailor Shivaji Yadav, head warder Arjinder Singh and warder Madhav Kumar were put on suspension. Rathi is also a dreaded gangster active in Uttarakhand and western UP.
Lodged in Jhansi jail, Bajrangi was taken to Baghpat jail on late Sunday night as he had to appear in an extortion case in Baghpat court. Bajrangi, who belonged to eastern UP and was the prime accused of senior BJP leader Krishnanand Rai's murder in 2005, was lodged in an isolated cell along with two other dreaded gangsters of western UP--- Sunil Rathi and Vicky Suheda in Baghpat jail.
As per the local police sources, Bajrangi was allegedly killed by Sunil Rathi as early as 6:30 am when the prisoners were being served morning tea and Bajrangi was getting ready to leave for court. Bajrangi was facing the legal proceeding for making extortion call of Rs 1 crore to former BSP MLA Lokesh Dixit in September, 2017.
While UP DGP OP Singh confirmed Bajrangi's killing on Baghapt jail premises following a brawl with fellow inmates, DIG (Law and Order), Praveen Kumar claimed that around 10 empty shells were recovered from the spot of crime.
"The probe would be conducted by a judicial magistrate. An additional probe would also be conducted by DIG Prison, Agra range, who holds the additional charge of Meerut, into the smuggling of firearm on jail premises," said DIG (Law and Order) Praveen Kumar.
According to ADG, prison, Chandra Prakash, a team of senior officials was sent immediately to examine the crime scene and prima facie it appeared that Bajrangi had brawl with Sunil Rathi.
As per the police sources, during interrogation, accused gangster Sunil Rathi believably told the cops that it was Bajrangi who had trained the pistol at him initially. Rathi added that he just snatched the pistol from Bajrangi and emptied it at the gangster before disposing it of in a gutter.
While the police recovered .30 pistol used to execute the killing, the cops trashed Rathi's version and grilled him all through Monday to know the actual motive for killing. Bajrangi, who had murdered around 40 people in 20 years of his criminal life, was accused in multiple cases of murder, attempt to murder and extortion. He was the key accused in the sensational murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, who along with his seven supporters was killed during an attack on his motorcade in Ghazipur district of eastern UP on November 29, 2005.
Bajrangi, possibly, was the first criminal to introduce AK-47 to UP crime scene. According to senior police officials, Bajrangi, who had been in jail since his arrest from Mumbai in January 2009, allegedly operated an extortion racket with help of his aides while remaining behind bars.
Bajrangi had also forayed into politics by contesting election from Mariyahu in Jaunpur as an Apna Dal candidate in 2012 while his wife contested from the same seat in 2017. Bajrangi belonged to Jaunpur. In 2012, Bajrangi had secured around 36,000 votes while SP MLA Shraddha Yadav polled 55,745 votes and won. His wife Seema Singh had lost the polls in 2017.
Meanwhile, Bajrangi's wife Seema Singh who had shared her apprehension over threat to his life on June 29, 2018 through après conference, demanded nothing less than a CBI probe into the murder of her husband. While staying in Jhansi jail, even Bajrangi had felt threat to his life in May this year, said his lawyer Anuj Yadav.
He said that he had submitted an application before the court of Session Judge-IV of Varanasi on May 22 apprehending that some STF officials were conspiring to kill him with the help of some prisoners of Jhansi jail.
Yadav said that taking note of it the court ordered Jhansi jail officials and district administration to give a report by May 23.
The Jhansi officials sought more time to give their report after which court had fixed July 9 as the next date of hearing in this case, said Yadav adding the report of Jhansi jail and district administration officials had arrived and hearing had to take place on Monday but before it Bajrangi was killed.
However, DIG (Law and Order) Praveen Kumar and ADG Jhansi zone Avinash Chandra claimed that after his wife's apprehensions, the security of the don was enhanced in Jhansi jail. "He was ferried from Jhansi to Baghpat under a very tight security cover wherein three trucks full of cops and two doctors accompanied the mafia don," said DIG Praveen Kumar.