Lucknow: Jailed gangster-turned-MLA Mukhtar Ansari's key aide Meraj Ali has died after being shot down by a prisoner named Anshu Dixit in Uttar Pradesh's Chitrakoot Jail on Friday.
Reportedly, the two inmates Merazuddin alias Meraj Ali and gangster Mukim Kala were shot down in the 'gang-war'.
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Jailed sharpshooter Anshu Dixit managed to shoot down Meraj Ali and Mukim Kala inside a high-security barrack of Chitrakoot District Jail in UP.
While Meraj Ali was known as the aide of Mukhtar Ali, Mukim Kala killed along with him was a history-sheeter of 65 cases who ran a criminal network in West Uttar Pradesh. Mukim started his criminal career in the Mustafa Kagga gang infamous for robberies and contract killing in parts of Haryana, West UP and Uttarakhand.
According to news agency PTI, an argument had broken out between the jail inmates, and when a prison staff tried to stop them, Dikshit snatched his service revolver. He shot dead Ali and Kala and also took five inmates as hostages, threatening to kill them.
The district police chief and District Magistrate reached the site but he was unable to bring him under control. Dikshit was later shot down in police action after refusing to surrender.
A search operation has been launched wherein all barracks are being checked and on the other hand, DIG Prison Prayagraj Range is set to conduct an investigation into the incident.
As for Mukhtar Ansari who was recently brought back to Uttar Pradesh, his slain key aides include Meraj Ali and gangster Munna Bajrangi. Bajrangi was killed in a gang war in Baghpat Jail in July 2018.
Ansari, a five-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district, was lodged in Ropar jail for over two years in connection with an extortion case. He is also accused of the murder of former Uttar Pradesh MLA Krishna Nand Rai in 2005. After a Supreme Court order, Mukhtar was brought to UP after being lodged in Punjab. He is currently housed at a jail in the Banda district.