A co-accused in the 2001 murder of then BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai was shot dead by police in Lucknow on August 9 in an exchange of fire, a senior officer said.
The person shot dead by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) was identified as Rakesh Pandey alias Hanuman Pandey. Police said he was a close aide of Mukhtar Ansari, the jailed MLA from Mau in Purvanchal.
A car carrying Rakesh Pandey and four others was intercepted and followed near the Shaheed Path in Lucknow by STF teams from Varanasi and Lucknow, said police.
During the chase, the car crashed into a tree near Sarojini Nagar following which the suspects fired at the police team, said SSP STF Sudhir Singh. “In cross-firing, one accused got shot,” Mr. Singh told reporters, adding that Rakesh Pandey was brought dead to a hospital.
“He [Pandey] is a dreaded shooter of Mukhtar Ansari,” said Mr. Singh.
The other four suspects fled taking cover behind a drain, said the officer.
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