Anil Dujana

Some Lesser Known Facts About Anil Dujana

• Anil Dujana was a notorious Indian gangster. He was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh’s Special Task Force (STF) in Meerut in 2023. His name had long been on the list of Uttar Pradesh’s most wanted criminals.

• He belonged to a Gurjar family.

• Anil Dujana was an ally of the notorious Sundar Bhati (also spelt as Sunder Bhati). Sundar Bhati and Naresh Bhati were the kingpins of the infamous Bhati gang in Uttar Pradesh; however, their once-solid bond turned sour when Naresh emerged victorious in a district panchayat election, defeating Sundar.

• Dujana started his criminal journey by lending his services to Sundar Bhati’s illegal operations in Uttar Pradesh. Dujana was a relatively unknown figure in the underworld, but he aspired to make a name for himself by engaging in unlawful activities under Sundar Bhati’s banner.

  

• In the early 2000s, Dujana was entrusted with the management of a vast extortion operation involving iron, sand mining, and the retrieval of money from disputed properties in Ghaziabad, all for the benefit of Sundar Bhati’s criminal empire.; however, as their illegal activities expanded, a rift emerged between the two, resulting in their eventual separation.

• Dujana soon switched his allegiance to Naresh Bhati’s gang, starting from scratch and working his way up the ranks by participating in high-stakes robberies and extortions, often targeting affluent individuals and corporations.

  

• On 24 March 2004, in response to his electoral loss, Sundar Bhati’s gang executed Naresh Bhati. This act of vengeance spurred Naresh’s brother Randeep and nephew Amit Kasana to retaliate. Dujana joined their cause, and in November 2011, they attempted to assassinate Sundar Bhati at his brother-in-law’s wedding using an AK-47. Although three people lost their lives, Bhati managed to elude them. Following this event, Anil Dujana assumed leadership of Naresh Bhati’s gang. In a counterattack, Sundar Bhati’s gang targeted Dujana’s home in 2014, killing his brother Jai Bhagwan. Undeterred, Dujana orchestrated the murder of one of Bhati’s hitmen, Rahul. This ongoing feud between Sundar Bhati and Dujana incited widespread chaos in Western Uttar Pradesh. Gradually, Dujana emerged as a key player in numerous criminal cases, facing allegations involving murder, contract killing, rioting, dacoity, robbery, and extortion.

• Anil Dujana’s criminal history did not deter the substantial support he received from his village and surrounding areas. Despite being incarcerated in Banda Jail, Dujana contested the 2016 panchayat elections as an independent candidate and emerged victorious by a considerable margin of over 10,000 votes, defeating his sole opponent, Sangram Singh, who purportedly campaigned while wearing a bulletproof jacket.

  

• Anil was referred to as ‘Chhota Shakeel’ of Western Uttar Pradesh.

• He had held power over several regions including Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR), and Haryana.

• Anil Dujana’s name frequently surfaced in connection with a multitude of criminal cases even while he was serving his imprisonment in different jails.

• According to reports, Anil Dujana was a contract killer who faced over 18 murder charges.

• Along with Anil Dujana’s own criminal activities, some of his family members were also found to be involved in unlawful conduct. In 2016, law enforcement officials arrested several of his relatives on charges of possessing illicit firearms. ^[2]Hindustan Times

  

• Anil Dujana met his end in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) near Ganga Nagar in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh on 4 April 2023. As per sources, Dujana was en route to meet members of his gang when he was encircled by the STF team. According to the team, they ordered him to surrender, but he refused and allegedly opened fire, prompting the Special Task Force to retaliate. Dujana was killed in the ensuing gunfight. Following the encounter, the STF recovered about 60 cartridges, a 9 mm firearm, a locally produced pistol, and another handgun from Dujana. Uttar Pradesh Police Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar, at a press meet, said,
  

  According to reports, a criminal named Anil Dujana, who was recently released from prison, was travelling from Baghpat to Muzaffarnagar to meet his associates. An STF was deployed on the spot based on this information. When both parties came face-to-face, Anil Dujana changed his route and his car collided with a pole. Anil and his gang fired around 15 to 20 shots. The STF too returned fire, leading to a gunfight and the miscreant’s death.”

  

• In an interview, Anil Dujana’s lawyer, Jitendra Nagar, claimed that Uttar Pradesh’s Surajpur and Dadri police had lodged two fabricated cases against Dujana following his release from Delhi’s Mandoli Jail in February 2021. According to Nagar, Dujana set out for Karkardooma court, Delhi on 4 May 2023, telling his legal team that he would return by 2 pm and requesting them to file a surrender application at the Surajpur court in Uttar Pradesh. As per Nagar, Anil intended to surrender himself to the Surajpur court in Gautam Buddha Nagar on 5 May 2023; however, he was detained by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force outside Karkardooma court in Delhi and subsequently killed in a police encounter in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Jitendra Nagar, in the interview, said,
  

  He (Dujana) was set to surrender in Gautam Budh Nagar’s Surajpur court on Friday. Today, he was in Karkardooma court and had asked his lawyers to file a surrender application there as well. When he came out of Karkardooma court, he was picked up by the Meerut STF and shown to be killed in an encounter. Today, Dujana had gone to the Karkardooma court and told his lawyers that he would return by 2 pm. He had also told his lawyers to file a surrender application in that court on his behalf. He was accompanied by two persons, Rakam Singh and Yogesh Ghitora, who have been detained by the STF. He had already filed a surrender application in the Surajpur court, which was set to come up on Friday.”