Gangster with Mukhtar-Jeeva links shot dead in encounter
MEERUT, July 15 -- The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) shot dead Shahrukh Pathan, a wanted sharpshooter with alleged links to the gang of Sanjeev Maheshwari alias Jeeva and gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, during an encounter near Bijopura Tiraaha on Chappar-Rohana Road in Muzaffarnagar early Monday.
According to STF additional superintendent of police (ASP) Brijesh Kumar, the gunfight began around 1:05 am after the team received a tip-off about a suspicious vehicle in the Chapar area. The STF set up an ambush to intercept the car. Shahrukh Pathan, 34, a resident of Khalapar in Muzaffarnagar, allegedly opened fire on the STF team, discharging over 10 rounds.
He was critically injured in retaliatory firing and declared dead on arrival at a local hospital, confirmed additional director general of police (ADG) Amitabh Yash, who oversees law and order and the STF.
Over a dozen criminal cases were registered against Pathan in Muzaffarnagar, Sambhal, and Haridwar.
These included charges under the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act, Gangsters Act, and Gunda Act for murder, extortion, criminal conspiracy, and witness intimidation. Pathan's criminal activities began in 2015 when he and an accomplice allegedly murdered Asif Zayada in police custody at Muzaffarnagar railway station. Zayada was being escorted from Naini Jail for a court hearing in a murder case. While in jail, Pathan developed links with gangsters Jeeva and Mukhtar Ansari, becoming a trusted shooter in their network, according to the STF.
In 2016, he escaped from police custody in Muzaffarnagar's Civil Lines area and went underground. During this period, he allegedly carried out multiple contract killings. In 2017, he reportedly shot dead Haridwar-based trader Amit Dixit, mistaking him for property dealer Subhash Saini, on instructions from Jeeva. That same year, he allegedly killed Yasin, father of Asif Zayada and a key witness in his son's murder. A reward of Rs 50,000 was subsequently announced for his capture.
He was later arrested in Uttarakhand and sentenced to life imprisonment along with Jeeva in the Dixit murder case. However, after being released on bail six months ago, he was booked again in Sambhal's Baniyather police station for threatening witnesses and remained absconding.
The STF recovered a .30 mm Beretta pistol, a .32 mm revolver, a 9mm country-made pistol, over 70 live cartridges, and a car, without number plate, from the encounter site. Officials suspect that Pathan was planning fresh extortion and violent activities in western UP.
A fresh FIR has been registered under the Arms Act and other relevant sections. Police are now working to trace his network and remaining associates. Jeeva, to whom Pathan was closely linked, was shot dead inside a Lucknow courtroom in 2023. Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time former UP MLA, died of cardiac arrest in 2024. He had been in jail since 2005....
To read the full article or to get the complete feed from this publication, please
Contact Us.