LUCKNOW: Shahrukh Pathan, who was a close accomplice of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and slain mafia don Sanjeev Jiva, was killed in a police encounter in Muzaffarnagar in western UP early on Monday.
The cases he was involved in included the murder of a man in police custody, contract killings and threats to witnesses.
Pathan, 34, was killed in an encounter with the Special Task Force (STF) of the UP police. He had been out on bail and was absconding in a fresh criminal case filed against him in Sambhal district.
Additional Director General of Police Amitabh Yash said the gangster was rounded up by the Meerut unit of the STF in an injured condition following the encounter. He was taken to a hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
As per police sources, the encounter took place at 1.05 am on the stretch leading to the village of Bijopur on Chappar-Rohana Road in Muzaffarnagar.
A number of cases of murder and extortion were registered against Pathan in Muzaffarnagar, Sambhal and Haridwar districts, the STF said.
The STF recovered three pistols, a revolver, ammunition and a car without a number plate from his possession.
According to Meerut STF ASP Brajesh Kumar, the police team traced the criminal after getting a tip-off about his presence in Muzaffarnagar. Police said Pathan fired around 10 rounds at them and was killed in retaliatory firing by the STF.
It may be recalled that gangster Sanjeev Maheshwari alias Sanjeev Jiva, with whom Pathan was closely associated, was shot dead while going for a court hearing in Lucknow two years ago.
Jiva’s gang was allegedly involved in around two dozen cases of murder, loot and extortion predominantly in western UP.
According to police, Pathan was adopted by his paternal uncle Amir Azam, a resident of Fakkarsa Chowk. Azam runs a bicycle repair shop at the same location. Pathan started living with him since childhood and would often sit at the shop. It was during this time that he befriended a criminal Sobi of Khalapar, Muzaffarnagar.
In 2015, Pathan along with Sobi murdered Asif Zayada in police custody at the Muzaffarnagar railway station. Zayada was being brought from Naini Jail to the Muzaffarnagar court for a hearing in a murder case.
Following his arrest, Pathan came in contact with gangsters like Jiva and Mukhtar Ansari in jail and began working for Jiva.
While returning from court proceedings in 2016, he escaped from police custody under Civil Lines Police Station, Muzaffarnagar.
After absconding, Pathan gunned down blanket trader Amit Dixit alias Goldie in Nirmala Chhawni Colony, Haridwar district, on the instructions of Jiva in 2017. The original target was property dealer Subhash Saini of Kankhal but Dixit was killed due to mistaken identity.
A murder case was registered against Pathan at Kotwali Nagar Police Station, Haridwar. In the same year, the UP DGP announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for his arrest as he had murdered Yasin, the father of Zayada, who was a key witness in the case.
Pathan was eventually arrested in Uttarakhand and sent to jail. Along with Jiva, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Amit Dixit murder case.
About six months ago, after being released on bail, he began threatening and attempting to kill witnesses in the murder cases.
While being lodged at Haridwar's Roshanabad Jail, Pathan physically assaulted jail warder Nitin Sajwan, who had objected to his use of a mobile phone inside jail, added police sources.