Barabanki (UP), February 13 A former aide of the slain gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari was allegedly shot dead by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle on the Ayodhya highway here on Friday, police said.
The deceased, identified as Shoaib Kidwai alias Bobby, was a suspect in the high-profile murder of District Jail Superintendent R K Tiwari in Lucknow. The daylight killing near Raj Bhavan in February 1999 had shocked the then Kalyan Singh government.
Police said Kidwai's name had figured in the investigation of the case. Kidwai, a resident of the Civil Lines area in the district town, was an accused in several criminal cases including murder, extortion and gang-related offences.
Barabanki Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya said five criminal cases were registered against him in the Kotwali area alone.
According to the police, the incident occurred in the Kotwali area near Asaini Mod on the busy Ayodhya highway while Kidwai was returning to Barabanki from Lucknow in his car. The attackers allegedly intercepted the vehicle and opened fire at close range, leaving him critically injured.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The assailants fled the spot after the attack, officials said, adding that efforts are on to trace them.
Preliminary information suggests the possibility of internal rivalry or a gang war behind the killing, officials said, adding that this angle is being probed.
Following the incident, security has been tightened across the district and additional force has been deployed in sensitive areas. Senior officers visited the spot and inspected the scene, while CCTV footage from nearby areas is being scanned to identify the attackers.
The initial investigation indicates the attack appears to have been pre-planned, SP Vijayvargiya said, adding that a forensic team has collected evidence from the site and raids are being conducted to nab the suspects.