PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 7 -- Jharkhand-based gangster Ashish Ranjan Singh alias Chhotu Singh, 28, who carried a reward of Rs.4 lakh on his arrest, was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh special task force (STF). The shootout took place in Prayagraj's trans-Yamuna region in the early hours of Thursday, officials confirmed.

According to officials, the shootout occurred near Shivrajpur crossing in Shankargarh around 1:22 am when the STF intercepted Ranjan and his associate, allegedly on their way to execute a major crime in the city. Acting on intelligence inputs, the STF laid a trap after learning about Ranjan's movements, deputy superintendent of police (SP) Shailesh Pratap Singh said.

When confronted, Ranjan and his accomplice, who w...