LUCKNOW, April 4 -- The recent release of rival mafia figures Udham Singh Karnawal and Yogesh Bhadauria has triggered fears of a fresh gang war in Western Uttar Pradesh. Police officials said the early signs of a renewed turf battle emerged following the killing of gangster Ashu alias Monty in an encounter. The police and STF probe into Ashu's killing in Moradabad on Wednesday night revealed that the hitman of the Udham gang was allegedly raising funds, arranging weapons and rebuilding local muscle power to revive the long-running and violent rivalry between the two gangs. The threat perception has sharply escalated after Udham Singh Karnawal was released on bail from Unnao jail on March 25, while rival gang leader Yogesh Bhadauria walked out of Siddharthnagar jail nearly a month ago, said Brijesh Kumar Singh, additional superintendent of police, Meerut STF. He said the present locations and hideouts of both gang leaders are untraceable. The ASP said the near-simultaneous release of the two former associates-turned-archrivals, both in their early fifties, has triggered high alert across Meerut, Hapur, Moradabad, Baghpat, Bulandshahr and Ghaziabad districts that have witnessed repeated bloodshed linked to their feud in the past. "We are alert and our ground intelligence teams are working continuously as both rivals are now out in the open," Singh said. Officials suspected Ashu's role had evolved beyond that of a contract killer; he became a field coordinator tasked with restoring the gang's operational capability on the ground. Officials privy to the matter said the recent Rs.5 crore extortion demand made to a Moradabad businessman is a crucial lead in the probe. Officials suspect the money was meant to build a war chest for sophisticated firearms, payments to shooters, safe houses and possible escape routes, including a suspected Nepal corridor. "The investigation clearly indicates that preparations for a fresh confrontation were underway," a senior police officer said. The rivalry between Udham and Yogesh is one of the most violent in West UP, dating back to the early 1990s and intensifying after 2007, when Udham split from the Bhadauria faction. The feud escalated after the 2008 Kinauni Sugar Mill-linked killing, which was followed by a series of retaliatory murders. A major flashpoint occurred on October 31, 2011, when Udham allegedly had Pramod Bhadauria, Yogesh's brother, killed in Bulandshahr jail, triggering further retaliation, including the 2012 Ghaziabad court complex shootout when Yogesh Bhadauria tried to get Udham Singh killed, leading to a shootout that left five people injured. The rivalry has caused over a dozen deaths of their associates. This includes the 2014 killing of a key witness, Nitin Kumar, and subsequent retaliation, including the 2020 murder of Yogesh's sharpshooter, Akshay Malik. Both are considered top mafia figures in West UP, often operating from jail. They were shifted to various jails across UP, including Allahabad (Prayagraj), Azamgarh, Unnao and Siddharthnagar, to prevent them from running their rackets and coordinating attacks. After Ashu's encounter death on Wednesday, police teams intensified surveillance on known gang associates, released convicts, suspected financiers and weapon suppliers. Officials said Ashu's killing may have disrupted the early stages of the build-up, but the threat of retaliatory violence remains high as both gang leaders are recently out of jail and their dormant networks may be reactivating....