UP encounter: Wanted mafia Ashish Ranjan gunned down near Prayagraj, linked to multiple murders across Jharkhand; AK-47, 9mm pistol recovered | Lucknow News
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh STF gunned down dreaded mafia criminal Ashish Ranjan alias Chhotu Singh, a resident of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, in an encounter near Shivrajpur Chauraha under Shankargarh police station limits in Prayagraj in the wee hours of Thursday.Ashish, wanted in at least four high-profile murder cases, including that of gangster Aman Singh, opened fire with an AK-47 rifle and a 9mm pistol at the STF team, prompting retaliatory action in which he was critically injured and later declared dead, said Additional DG, law and order, Amitabh Yash.ADG Yash said that acting on a tip-off that Ashish was en route to Prayagraj to possibly execute a major criminal plot with an associate, the STF laid a trap near Shivrajpur.“When intercepted, Ashish fired at the police team with lethal intent. STF officers JP Rai, Prabhanjan, and Rohit narrowly escaped bullets. In self-defence, the STF retaliated, injuring Ashish, who was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to injuries,” said ADG Yash.From the spot, police recovered a loaded AK-47, 9mm pistol, large cache of live cartridges and spent shells, and a motorcycle. A case under multiple sections, including attempt to murder and Arms Act, has been lodged, and further investigation is underway, the officer added.STF said that Ashish had a long criminal history and was the prime accused in three high-profile murder cases in Dhanbad, including, the murder of police informer and coal trader Neeraj Tiwari in Katras on September 5, 2021. The murder of land dealer Sarful Hasan alias Lala Khan in Wasseypur on May 12, 2021. The murder of Ranjit Sahu in Jharia.Previously, Ashish had been jailed in the Samir Mandal land mafia murder case but was released on bail, after which he continued to commit heinous crimes. Jharkhand Police and CID had both been hunting him, and a permanent warrant had been issued against him.Connection to Gangster Aman Singh’s Jail MurderAshish came into the spotlight after he claimed responsibility for the murder of mafia don Aman Singh inside Dhanbad Jail, in a viral audio-video confession. The feud reportedly began after Ashish accused Aman of plotting his murder. Police suspect the conspiracy to eliminate Aman was hatched in Nepal, where Ashish is believed to have been hiding before resurfacing in UP. A key accused in Aman’s murder, Ritesh Yadav alias Sundar Mahto, had told police that he met Ashish in Nepal days before the murder.
House Attached, Police Crack Down
Following his repeated absconding, police had already initiated property attachment proceedings at Ashish’s residence in JC Mallick Road, Dhanbad, on orders of SDJM Poonam Kumari in September 2024. In two separate FIRs—one related to the murder of Neeraj Tiwari and the other involving land dealer Lala Khan—his house and belongings were seized by the local police. Ashish has over a dozen serious criminal cases registered against him.
