Sharp shooter shot dead in police encounter in Lucknow

A sharp shooter was today shot dead in an encounter with Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh police in Mau district, a senior officer said here.Raja Chauhan, a member of Mukhtar Ansari gang and carrying a cash reward of Rs 12,000 on his head, was shot dead in an encounter with the STF and Mau police near Sultanpur Barawan village this morning," Deputy Superintendent of Police Arvind Chaturvedi said.Chauhan, wanted in nearly two dozen cases, was involved in contractor Ram Singh Maurya and his guard Satish murder case. The two were shot dead near RTO office on March 19.Maurya, a key witness in PWD contractor Manna Singh's murder, who was shot dead on August 29 last year, Chaturvedi said.Independent MLA Mukhtar Ansari along with eight others were named in the murder case, police said.