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Gufran (1996-2023) was an Indian history-sheeter, who was involved in various criminal activities like dacoity, murder, extortion, and loot. He was a gang leader and used to carry on criminal activities in various parts of Uttar Pradesh. On 27 June 2023, he was shot dead in an encounter by the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh.
Wiki/Biography
Muhammed Gufran was born in 1996 (age 27 years; at the time of death) in Village Puranpur Pathkhan, District Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh State, India.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Family
He belonged to a Muslim family.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Rizwan.
Wife
There is no information about his marital status.
Criminal Records
In 2023, Gufran’s name was included in 13 criminal cases including seven cases of murder, attempted murder, and loot. Gufran, along with his gang, carried out criminal activities in the Pratapgarh and Sultanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh for years. Some of his gang members are jailed. He was also speculated to have a link with the IS-227 Ateeq gang. On 24 April 2023, Gufran shot and looted ‘Saresham Jeweler’ in Pratapgarh. Some of his other criminal cases are:
Loot and Murder Case
On 15 May 2023, a young man named Tanveer was killed near the cemetery in Mahuar village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Kotwali Nagar Police Station. The Police Superintendent of Pratapgarh, Satpal Antil, formed teams to arrest the people responsible for the incident. Eventually, the police arrested four individuals who were part of Gufran’s gang, while Gufran himself managed to escape due to the geographical circumstances. The police recovered a total of 150,000 rupees, which was linked to various robbery cases, as well as loot from two mobile phones belonging to the gang members, three mobile phones belonging to the accused, an illegal .32 caliber pistol with two live bullets, an illegal .315 caliber pistol with one live bullet, and another .315 caliber pistol.
During questioning, the arrested individuals admitted that they were members of a gang led by Gufran, who had managed to flee. They confessed to being involved in crimes such as theft and robbery, using the money they obtained to cover their daily expenses. They had even planned to rob a petrol pump before their arrest. When asked about the money and firearms found in their possession, they revealed that Gufran, along with some other gang members, had shot and killed Tanveer. The motive behind the murder was that the future wife of the deceased was a close friend of one of the accused, and the accused was unhappy about the news of their impending marriage.
Lalta Sharma Murder Case
On 1 September 2023, Gufran and his gang members committed a murder. They killed a man named Tantrik Lalta Prasad. The local police stated that a man called Anil Kumar Mishra from Balipur allegedly hired contract killers to get rid of Lalta Sharma. Mishra was tired of Sharma constantly asking for more money. Previously, Mishra had asked Sharma to help treat his wife, who had been unwell for a few years. Mishra claimed that he had already paid the exorcists of Lalta enough money, but the exorcist kept demanding more even though his wife’s condition wasn’t improving. Mishra also alleged that the exorcist had bad intentions towards his wife and would visit their house without an invitation. During the police questioning, Mishra confessed to plotting the scheme to eliminate the exorcist. He contacted a contract killer named Shahzad Alam, who was also known as Bhaiya. Alam demanded Rs 2.5 lakh for the murder, and Mishra paid him an advance of Rs 50,000. The police revealed that Alam and his four accomplices originally planned to kill Sharma on Rakshabandhan but changed their minds when they saw many visitors at his house. Later, Gufran went to Sharma’s house pretending that he needed treatment for his sick brother. However, Lalta Sharma declined to go with him, saying that he had to go to Mumbai for work. On 1 September 2023, all four hired killers returned to Sharma’s house. Gufran convinced Sharma to go with him on his motorcycle, using the excuse of further treatment. Eventually, Gufran shot Sharma near a canal, resulting in his death. In June 2023, a reward of Rs 50,000 was announced for information leading to the arrest of Gufran, which was later increased to Rs 100,000 on 24 June 2023. The local police reported a robbery that took place on 24 April 2023 in Pratapgarh. CCTV footage captured Gufran during the incident, looting the shop. As a result, the Prayagraj police offered a reward of Rs 100,000 for information leading to Gufran’s arrest, while the Sultanpur police offered a reward of Rs 25,000.
Death
On 27 June 2023, the Uttar Pradesh Police encountered Gufran in Kokhraj, a village in Sirathu Block in the Kaushambi District of Uttar Pradesh. The encounter took place at approximately 5:00 am during an operation carried out by the Special Task Force (STF). According to Amitabh Yash, the additional director general of the STF, Gufran sustained a gunshot wound during a confrontation and retaliatory firing that occurred in a crossfire. The STF team had surrounded Samda Sugar Mill when Gufran initiated firing. Both sides exchanged gunfire for about 20 minutes. During the exchange, Gufran was struck by a bullet in the jaw and fell down. He was immediately taken to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead at around 6 am. As part of the operation, the STF team recovered a 9mm carbine and a .32 bore pistol from Gufran’s possession. While addressing the media, the local police said,
We were trying to trace him (gangster Gufran) for a while. After we reached Kaushambi to nab him, he opened fire to which we retaliated. He was shot in the firing and subsequently was shifted to the hospital, during which he succumbed to his injuries.”
STF CO DK Shahi stated that they received information that Gufran was present near the toll plaza in the Kokhraj area. The STF team initiated the operation by surrounding the Kokhraj area at 4:40 am. Upon noticing the presence of the police, Gufran attempted to escape on his Apache motorcycle towards Manjhanpur. The STF pursued him in the chase.