Week after wife’s plaint, gangster sharpshooter Munna Bajrangi, shot dead inside UP jail

Bajrangi a one-time key aide of Mafia Don Mukhtar Ansari, had the backing of local Mafia Gajraj Singh and, in turn, worked for him. The first murder case against Bajrangi was registered in 1984 when he shot a businessman.

Lucknow, July 9: Gangster Prem Prakash Singh alias Munna Bajrangi was shot dead inside Baghpat jail Monday morning, barely a week after his wife Seema Singh addressed a press conference in the Uttar Pradesh capital accusing the Special Task Force (STF) of hatching a conspiracy to murder her husband.

Bajrangi was shifted to Baghpat from Jhansi jail around 9:30 pm Sunday night for an appearance in a local court on Monday in an extortion case on. Initial reports indicate the involvement of Sunil Rathi gang behind the murder. Sources said that Bajrangi was shot at 6:20 am when the prisoners were being served tea.

UP Director General of Police OP Singh confirmed that the gangster was shot dead inside the jail after a brawl with members of a local criminal gang lodged there.

Additional Director General (ADG), Prison, Chandra Prakash suspended four jail officials as the murder left the government and the police department red-faced.

“We are probing how the fire arm was available inside the jail. It is a serious lapse by local jail administration,” Prakash said.

Among those suspended are jailor Uday Pratap Singh, his deputy Shivaji Yadav, head warder Arjinder Singh and warder Madhav Kumar.

Prakash said a team of senior officials has been sent immediately to examine the crime scene and investigate the matter. He said the initial probe suggested that he had brawl with some jail inmates inside the jail after which they opened fire on him. Bajrangi suffered gunshot in his head and succumbed to injuries while being taken to the jail hospital, he said.

Bajrangi: Rise of a gangster

Dreaded gangster Prem Prakash Singh alias Munna Bajrangi, who was shot by another inmate early on Monday morning inside Baghpat jail, came into spotlight after he carried out the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand.

Born in 1967, Bajrangi hailed from a small village named Puredayal in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Bajrangi gave up studies after class V and dreamt of becoming a gangster.

Bajrangi was fond of keeping weapons from quite an early age and the first case against him was registered at the age of 17 in Surehi Police station of Jaunpur district. He was then accused of keeping illegal arms and fighting. Post this, Bajrangi was sucked into the world of crime.

Bajrangi had the backing of local Mafia Gajraj Singh and, in turn, worked for him. The first murder case against Bajrangi was registered in 1984 when he shot a businessman. After this, Bajrangi also murdered a BJP leader from Jaunpur, Ramchandra Singh, and became the byword for terror in Purvanchal.

In the early 90s, after establishing a toehold in the world of crime, Bajrangi joined the gang of Mukhtar Ansari, which was being operated from Mau. Meanwhile, Mukhtar Ansari joined Samajwadi Party in 1996 and was elected as MLA from Mau. Thereafter, Bajrangi started to interfere in the government contracts at the behest of Mukhtar Ansari.

Meanwhile, Krishnanand Rai backed by Mukhtar Ansari’s opponent Brajesh Rai, started opposing Ansari gang. Krishnanand Rai also entered politics and was elected as MLA on a BJP ticket from Mohammadabad Assembly seat in Ghazipur. Both the gangs were also reportedly connected to the underworld. The rise of Krishnanand Rai was the reason Ansari allegedly ordered his killing and gave responsibility to Munna Bajrangi.

On 20 November 2005, Munna Bajrangi allegedly peppered the vehicle of Krishnanand Rai with bullets fired from AK47 rifle on Lucknow highway. There were about 400 rounds fired from the AK47 rifles which killed Rai and six others on the spot. During the post-mortem of Rai, nearly 60 to 100 bullets were recovered from his body. This shootout made Bajrangi a notorious name in the world of crime.

In the murder of Krishnanand Rai, UP Police, STF and CBI were on a look out for Bajrangi and a reward of seven lakh rupees was also declared on his head. Police finally caught up with Bajrangi and he was arrested from Mumbai in 2009. During his time in Mumbai, Bajrangi developed ties with the underworld.

Taking the lead from his boss Mukhtar Ansari, Munna Bajrangi also tried his hand at politics but could not win. More than 40 criminal cases were registered against him in seven states, including Uttar Pradesh. He was also accused in many cases of kidnapping and ransom.