Lawrence Bishnoi gang member killed in UP encounter

In a major police operation in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut, a notorious criminal with a bounty of ₹1 lakh, linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, was killed in an encounter with the Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday.

The criminal, identified as Jeetu alias Jitendra, was injured during the gunfight and was rushed to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

According to police sources, the STF had a fierce encounter with a gang of criminals in the Mundali police station area of Meerut. During the exchange of fire, one of the criminals sustained critical injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

The injured criminal was identified as Jeetu, who later died during treatment.

Jeetu, a resident of Asounda village in Haryana's Jhajjar district, was involved in several criminal activities. He had eight criminal cases registered against him under various charges.

In 2016, Jeetu was sentenced to life imprisonment for a double murder case in Jhajjar. However, he was granted parole in 2023, during which he fled from custody.

After escaping, he carried out a murder in Ghaziabad’s Tilamod area, where he shot and killed a person on contract. Since then, he had been on the run.

While in jail, Jeetu made contact with members of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Following his escape, he joined the gang and became involved in their illegal activities. The police had announced a reward of Rs one lakh for any information leading to his capture.

Jeetu's criminal history included several cases in Haryana, Delhi, and Ghaziabad. Notably, he had been sentenced to five years in prison by the Bahadurgarh Court in Haryana (August 29, 2018) for a case registered in the Bahadurgarh police station.

He was also sentenced to life imprisonment on February 3, 2018, by the same court, and to ten years in prison in a different case. His criminal record includes multiple charges in areas like Jhajjar, Kanjhawala, and Vikas Puri in Delhi, as well as Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.

(With IANS inputs)