LUCKNOW, May 21 -- A gangster with a criminal record spanning nearly three decades and around 70 cases against him was shot dead in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) in Barabanki's Ram Nagar area on Wednesday. The deceased, Gyan Chandra Paswan, was wanted in connection with a recent shooting incident during a house theft in Gonda, police said.

According to additional director general (ADG), law and order, Amitabh Yash, Paswan was part of a gang that broke into a house in Gonda's Umari Begum Ganj area on the night of April 24 and 25. During the burglary, one of the residents, who woke up, was shot.

Paswan's name surfaced during the investigation into the incident, leading to a state-wide search. The ADG of Gora...