Barabanki (UP), February 13 A man with a criminal record 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 resident of the Civil Lines area in the district town. He was involved in several criminal cases, including murder, extortion, and offences related to gangs, officials said.
According to police, the incident occurred in the Kotwali area near Asaini Mod on the busy Ayodhya highway when 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 pronounced him dead.
The assailants fled the scene after the attack, and efforts are underway to trace them, officials said.
Kidwai's name had previously surfaced in the case of the murder of a jailer in Lucknow, in which he was named as an accused by investigating agencies. Police said he was involved in multiple criminal cases and had posed a significant challenge to law and order.
Preliminary information suggests the possibility of internal rivalry and a gang war behind the killing, officials said, adding that this angle is also being investigated.
Following the incident, security has been tightened across the district, and additional police personnel have been deployed in sensitive areas. Senior officers visited the scene and inspected the crime scene, while CCTV footage from nearby areas is being scanned to identify the attackers.
Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya said the initial investigation indicates that the attack appears to have been pre-planned. A forensic team has collected evidence, and raids are being conducted to apprehend the suspects, he added.