Gangster Sanjeev Maheshwari 'Jeeva', an associate of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, was shot dead on Wednesday, June 7, in court premises in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
The attackers, who were dressed as lawyers, opened fire at Maheshwari when he was attending a hearing for a criminal case, injuring an infant and two police officers nearby as well. At least six of the police officials posted at the court have been suspended for negligence, said Aparna Kaushik, DCP Lucknow Central.
What do we know of Sanjeev Maheshwari's killing?
In a recent statement, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, said, “According to the post-mortem report of gangster Sanjeev alias Jeeva, there were 16 bullet entry and exit points in the body showing that eight bullets were fired. Six bullets hit his chest and two hit his hand and he was brought dead to Balrampur Hospital.”
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The alleged killer has been identified as Vijay Yadav, who will be sent to Lucknow jail after he is released from the hospital.
A report in the Times of India gives a detailed account of the post-mortem report – one bullet entry hole was found in each of his hands and the remaining six were found in the chest area, all at different positions.
For each bullet, an exit hole was also found on the body, said the ToI report.
Forensic experts speculate that as a reflex, Maheshwari put both his hands on his chest, which is why the bullets penetrated them, according to ToI. The experts also believe that the bullets hit the two police officers and the infant after passing through Sanjeev’s body, hence they did not prove to be fatal.
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Who was Sanjeev Maheshwari?
Born to Om Prakash Maheshwari and Kunti Maheshwari in Muzaffarnagar, Sanjeev Maheshwari 'Jeeva' has four children – three sons and one daughter.
Maheshwari's wife, Payal, participated in the 2017 Assembly election on an RLD ticket. However, she lost.
According to The Indian Express, the police say that Jeeva has been associated with as many as 24 crimes, ranging from murder and kidnapping to extortion and dacoity.
Dead at 48, Sanjeev Maheshwari, popularly known as ‘Jeeva’, has been involved in several gangs and has been a part of various criminal activities.
Maheshwari first achieved notoriety when his name was involved in the murder of two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, Brahm Dutt Dwivedi and Krishna Nand Rai. Although he was cleared in 2005 for the murder of Krishna Rai, he was convicted in Dwivedi’s death in 1997.
Maheshwari was sentenced to life imprisonment, along with Samajwadi Party MLA Vijay Singh. Maheshwari was accused of the murder of Krishna Nand Rai as well, who died along with six others when his killers opened fire on his car. Maheshwari, Mukhtar Ansari, and Afzal Ansari were all accused but were acquitted.
