Former legislator and mafia don Mukhtar Ansari is no longer amongst us. On Thursday, his health deteriorated in UP's Banda Jail and he was admitted to Banda Medical College, where he succumbed to a heart attack during treatment. Mukhtar had been imprisoned since 2005, having spent the last 19 years behind bars. But did you know there was a plan to assassinate this strongman as well?
Indeed, during a court transit from jail in 2015, a plot was contrived to eliminate strongman Mukhtar Ansari. But not in any ordinary fashion – the plan was to blow him up using a bomb and for this task, a thug from Bihar was contacted. His name was Lambu Sharma, who was given a bounty of 6 crore rupees. Lambu, an expert in making bombs, was supposed to receive an advance of 50 lakh rupees and he had already escaped the Bihar jail to carry out this mission. There was a plan to blast Mukhtar Ansari with a bomb during the court transit.
Used a Human Bomb for Escape
For the assassination plan, Lambu Sharma had to get out of jail. He devised a perilous plot for this. When Lambu was being transported from Ara jail to court for a hearing, a human bomb was used for his escape. Nagina Devi, the woman carrying the bomb, detonated it.
The explosion resulted in the martyrdom of Constable Amit Kumar and the death of Nagina Devi herself. Due to the blast, 15 people were injured. In the ensuing chaos, Lambu Sharma managed to escape. It was perhaps the first case where a criminal used a human bomb to escape during a court transit within the country.
However, a few months later, Lambu Sharma was arrested from Delhi. During interrogation, he revealed to the police that he had escaped jail to assassinate the UP mafia Mukhtar Ansari. In this way, the assassination plan never reached fruition. The former Additional District and Sessions Judge (Third) Tribhuvan Yadav sentenced Lambu Sharma to death during the hearing of the bomb blast case on August 20, 2019.
Lambu Committed His First Murder at the Age of 12
It is said that Lambu Sharma, hailing from Piro in Bhojpur district, committed his first murder at the tender age of 12. The reason was a love triangle – Lambu loved a girl who was also desired by another man. Upon discovering this, Lambu killed him. Due it being a juvenile offense, he received a lesser sentence. After spending some time in a juvenile home, he escaped and evaded capture once again during judicial custody. Sources indicate that he learned bomb-making while in jail.
Mukhtar Gained His Criminal Mastermind in Tihar Jail
Speaking of UP's strongman mafia Mukhtar Ansari, he too gained his knowledge of the underworld while in jail. Reports suggest that Mukhtar never had apprehensions about being jailed. He was arrested in Delhi on charges of extortion from a businessman. Subsequently, he was placed in Tihar Jail, where he met Subhash Thakur, also known as Baba. Insiders say that's where Mukhtar acquired a new philosophy: mere muscle power wasn't enough, political influence was essential. Otherwise, even a constable could defy him, nailing a notice on the door.
Jail, the Most Convenient Place, Provided...
It was during his time in Tihar that Mukhtar learned that the lives of those involved in crime were different. New comrades were found in jail, who would stand by him when needed, ready to lay down or take a life for a cause. Mukhtar also understood that jail could be the most convenient place, especially under pressing circumstances, provided one got to live by their own rules. Hence, he never avoided incarceration, spending a long stint of his life in prison, being confined since 2005.
Ghazipur Jail Felt Like Home
For Mukhtar, Ghazipur Jail was like home. Before he was transferred to any jail, his associates had already established their presence in the vicinity. They would rent houses around the jail and their visits and interactions with Mukhtar continued. He kept abreast of all business matters promptly. Mukhtar even had a pond excavated in Banda Jail to enjoy fresh fish. Evenings in jail were like a court assembly, with high-ranking officials joining Mukhtar Ansari for games of badminton.
