The Yogi-Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh is preparing to clamp down on notorious criminals and their associates, lodged in different prisons across the state.
This move follows the recent assassination of former politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf while in police custody en route to a medical college in Prayagraj.
Subject to approval from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the administration has put together a list of 61 mafias as potential targets, with plans to seize properties worth Rs 500 crore.
According to Special DG Law and Order Prashant Kumar, the state police is focusing its efforts on criminals involved in liquor and forest mafia, as well as those engaged in illegal sand mining and cattle smuggling.
HERE ARE FEW NAMES FROM THE LIST
- Sudhakar Singh, Pratapgarh: The name of Sudhakar Singh, a resident of Sultanpur, tops the list of mafias prepared by the police. A liquor mafia, Sudhakar Singh, is the biggest smuggler of illegal liquor in Pratapgarh, Sultanpur and nearby districts. Last year, the police recovered illegal liquor worth crores from properties belonging to him. At present, Sudhakar Singh is in jail and police have announced a reward of Rs one lakh on him.
- Guddu Singh, Kunda: Sanjay Pratap Singh alias Guddu Singh, a resident of Kunda in Pratapgarh, is a liquor mafia, currently lodged in jail. Last year, the police recovered liquor worth about Rs 12 crore from Hathigawa. Prior to this, police seized liquor from several places in different raids and, in all these cases, the name of Gaddu Singh came to the fore.
- Gabbar Singh, Bahraich: Devendra Pratap Singh alias Gabbar Singh, an accused in 56 cases like loot, murder, dacoity, land grab also features in the list of dreaded mafias in Uttar Pradesh. Gabbar Singh, has a bounty of Rs one lakh on him and is also a district panchayat member. There are cases against Devendra Pratap Singh in many districts, including Faizabad, Gonda, Sultanpur, Lucknow, Bahraich.
- Udham Singh, Meerut: Udham Singh’s name was already included in the list of top 25 criminals during the first tenure of the government. This time again, his name came up on the list. Apart from Meerut, his henchmen murdered people by looting, dacoity and extortion in the districts of West UP. At present, he is lodged in Unnao jail.
- Yogesh Bhadaura, Meerut: The biggest opponent of Udham Singh is Yogesh Bhadaura, a notorious criminal of Meerut. Bhadaura is the leader of Gang D75. He is a resident of Bhadaura village of Meerut. There are 40 cases registered against him under serious sections like robbery, murder, kidnapping, Arms Act and gangster. Bhadaura is lodged in Siddharth Nagar Jail.
- Badan Singh Baddo: Inspired by the lifestyles and appearances of Hollywood actors, Mafia Badan Singh Baddo of western UP is absconding. More than 40 cases of murder, extortion, loot and dacoity have been registered against Baddo in many states, including UP. At present, a reward of 2.5 lakh has been declared on him. Baddo is absconding since 2019. Baddo’s name is on the list of the top 25 mafias of the state.
- Ajit Choudhary Akku: Known by his name ‘Wasuli Bhai’, Moradabad’s mafia Ajit Chowdhary has 14 cases registered against him, including murder, robbery and extortion.
- Dharmendra Kirthal: There are 49 cases registered against the infamous Dharmendra Kirthal of Baghpat, out of which 15 are murder cases. He was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) in 2021 from Dehradun.
- Sunil Rathi: The infamous Sunil Rathi, a resident of Baghpat, is one of the biggest mafias in western Uttar Pradesh. Rathi is lodged in Mandoli jail. Sunil Rathi managed to maintain his sway and supremacy in Uttar Pradesh despite regime change. He is accused of murdering Munna Bajrangi in the Baghpat jail during the tenure of the Yogi government. He is also in the list of top 25 mafias.
- LIST OF GORAKHPUR MAFIAS
- Rajan Tiwari: Originally, a resident of Sohgaura village in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Rajan Tiwari was an aide of Prakash Shukla. Rajan Tiwari’s is a well-known mafia in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. A two-time Bihar MLA, Rajan joined the membership of the BJP in Lucknow just before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He was, however, sidelined after his association with the party sparked criticism. Earlier, Rajan had joined BSP in 2016.
- Sudhir Kumar Singh: BSP leader and former block chief of Piprauli in Gorakhpur district and mafia Sudhir Singh has a long list of criminal cases. In the last assembly elections, Sudhir was the BSP candidate from Sahjanwan assembly constituency. There are 26 cases registered against him, including attempt to murder.
- Vinod Upadhyay: Gorakhpur’s criminal Vinod Upadhyay has 25 cases registered against him in various police stations including extortion, extortion, attempt to murder. Presently, he is lodged in Fatehgarh Jail.
- LIST OF BSP AND SP LEADERS
- Rizwan Zaheer: Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former MP Rizwan Zaheer is a resident of Balrampur. According to police records, 14 cases are registered against former MP Rizwan Zaheer, which include serious allegations such as murder and rioting.
- Dilip Mishra: Dilip Mishra of Prayagraj, was a leader of BSP and SP and is currently lodged in Fatehgarh Jail. On July 12, 2010, Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi was attacked with a remote bomb hidden on a two-wheeler in Bahadurganj under Kotwali city of Prayagraj, in which Dilip Mishra was the main accused. Dilip Mishra’s name was also in the list of top 25 mafias.
- Anupam Dubey, Farrukhabad: There are 41 cases registered against BSP leader Anupam Dubey. In the year 1996, Gursahaiganj Kotwali, in-charge of Kannauj, Ramniwas Yadav, was shot dead on a train. The name of Anupam Dubey emerged in this murder case.
- Haji Iqbal: Mining mafia Haji Iqbal alias Bala, a resident of Saharanpur, is a former MLC and is also a director in the company that bought three sugar mills in Lakhimpur Kheri, Gorakhpur and Sitapur. A case has also been registered against him in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar police station under the Companies Act and other sections.
- Bachchu Yadav: Bachchu Yadav, a resident of Azad Nagar under Krishna Nagar police station in Lucknow, used to sell marijuana. Later on, 25 cases, including extortion and robbery, were registered against him. At present, he is absconding.
- Jugnu Walia: Jugnu Walia, a close aide of gangster-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari, is a resident of Chandan Nagar in Lucknow. A dozen cases are registered against him and he is absconding.
- Lallu Yadav: Lallu Yadav, a resident of Rajajipuram area of Lucknow, is a big name in the world of crime. Lallu Yadav is named in 12 cases of murder, attempt to murder, illegal possession, gangster and assault. He is currently lodged in jail.
The list also includes the names of Mukhtar Ansari, Brijesh Singh, Tribhuvan Singh, Khan Mubarak, Salim, Sohrab, Rustum, Bablu Srivastava, Vlumesh Rai, Kuntu Singh, Subhash Thakur, Sanjeev Maheshwari Jeeva and Munir.
Furthermore, many mafias are lodged in jails in Lucknow’s Gosaiganj Jail. Among those on the list are also Atiq Ahmed’s son Umar, Sanjeev Jeeva – a well-known criminal from western Uttar Pradesh, Abhishek Singh alias Babu, Ehshan Ghazi, Firdaus from Bihar, Raju alias Tauheed, Anand Prakash Tiwari, Rajesh Tomar, Javed Iqbal, and Asif Iqbal.
