UP: Notorious criminal shot dead by unidentified assailants on highway in Barabanki

He was accused in several criminal cases, including murder, extortion and gang-related offences, officials said. According to police, the incident occurred in the Kotwali area near Asaini Mod on the busy Ayodhya highway when Kidwai was returning to Barabanki from Lucknow in his car.

A history-sheeter was allegedly shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants on the Ayodhya highway here on Friday, police said. The deceased has been identified as Shoaib Kidwai alias Bobby, a resident of the Civil Lines area in the district town. He was accused in several criminal cases, including murder, extortion and gang-related offences, officials said. According to police, the incident occurred in the Kotwali area near Asaini Mod on the busy Ayodhya highway when Kidwai was returning to Barabanki from Lucknow in his car. The attackers allegedly intercepted the vehicle and opened fire at close range, leaving him critically injured. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The assailants fled the spot after carrying out the attack, and efforts are on to trace them, officials said. Kidwai's name had earlier surfaced in the Lucknow jailer murder case, in which he was named as an accused by investigating agencies. Police said he had been facing multiple criminal cases and had long posed a law-and-order challenge. Preliminary information suggests the possibility of internal rivalry and a gang war behind the killing, officials said, adding that this angle is also being probed. Following the incident, security has been tightened across the district, and additional police personnel have been deployed in sensitive areas. Senior officers visited the spot and inspected the scene of the crime, while CCTV footage from nearby areas is being scanned to identify the attackers. Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya said the initial investigation indicates that the attack appears to have been pre-planned. A forensic team has collected evidence, and raids are being conducted to nab the suspects, he added.

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