Lucknow, Mar 31: Gangster and sharpshooter Anuj Kanaujia, wanted in 23 criminal cases, was killed in an encounter by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Jharkhand Police in Jamshedpur on Saturday night.
Kanaujia, 42, was a key member of the Mukhtar Ansari gang and carried a reward of ₹2.5 lakh, Additional Director General Amitabh Yash said. He was neutralized after an exchange of heavy gunfire with police, who recovered two pistols—one 9mm and one .32 bore—from him.
Kanaujia had spread terror in eastern Uttar Pradesh for over two decades, with cases registered against him across Mau, Ghazipur, and Azamgarh districts. He committed his first murder in 2003 in Ranipur police station area of Mau district and later became infamous for murder, attempted murder, and extortion.
His rise in the underworld was under the protection of Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar, who died in Banda jail on March 28, 2024. Kanaujia met his end on Ansari’s first death anniversary.
His wife, Reena, and a relative, Shivratan, were arrested in Jamshedpur nearly two years ago for assisting him in extortion activities. Since 2022, he had been residing in Jamshedpur under a different identity and evaded capture by frequently changing locations in Bihar and Jharkhand.
Besides extortion, he was also involved in securing commissions from contract deals, police sources said.
