LUCKNOW: Sanjeev Maheshwari, popularly known as Jeeva, and a close aide of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, was fatally shot on Wednesday in the premises of Lucknow civil court. The incident occurred when an individual disguised as lawyers targeted him. The shooter was apprehended immediately.
Jeeva had a criminal background and was involved in several high-profile cases, including the murders of prominent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Brahm Dutt Dwivedi and Krishnanand Rai. His criminal activities began during his time as a compounder, where he even resorted to kidnapping his own doctor.
Sanjeev Jeeva was incarcerated in Lucknow jail.
The western region of Uttar Pradesh, known for its agriculture and farming, has also gained notoriety for gangsters and criminals. Among the Bhati gang, Badan Singh Baddo, Mukim Kala gang, and countless other criminals, Sanjeev Maheshwari’s name also emerged in the world of crime. In the 1990s, Sanjeev Maheshwari started instilling fear, gradually becoming a headache for the police and the general public.
Recently, the Shamli police apprehended a member of his gang with an AK-47, around 1300 cartridges, and three magazines. During checking on the road, the Shamli police had detained a person named Anil. In fact, Jeeva hailed from Muzaffarnagar. In the initial days, he worked as a compounder at a pharmacy.
During this job, Jeeva had kidnapped his employer, the pharmacy manager. After this incident, he also abducted the son of a businessman from Kolkata in the 1990s and demanded a ransom of two crores. Demanding a ransom of two crores was a significant demand at that time. Afterward, Jeeva infiltrated the Najim gang in Haridwar and later joined forces with Satendra Barnala, but he had a desire to form his own gang.
Afterward, his name surfaced in the Brahmadutt Dwivedi murder case, which took place on 10th February 1997. Subsequently, Jeeva was sentenced to life imprisonment. Soon after, Jeeva joined the Munna Bajrangi gang, and during this time, he established contact with Mukhtar Ansari. It is said that Mukhtar had a fondness for modern weapons, and Jeeva had a network to procure weapons. Consequently, Jeeva also gained Mukhtar’s support, and his name also came up in the Krishna Nand Rai murder case.
However, a few years later, the court acquitted Mukhtar and Jeeva in the Krishna Nand Rai murder case in 2005. According to police records, Sanjeev Maheshwari, alias Jeeva, has more than 22 cases registered against him. Out of these, he has been acquitted in 17 cases, while his gang has more than 35 members. Moreover, Jeeva has also been accused of operating a gang from prison.
Recently, his assets were also seized by the administration.
In 2017, Jeeva was also accused in the Amit Dikshit murder case, also known as Goldie. After the investigation, the court sentenced Jeeva and four other accused to life imprisonment. Although Jeeva is currently in Lucknow jail, in 2021, Jeeva’s wife Payal wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India, stating that her husband’s life is in danger. It should be noted that Payal contested the Assembly elections on an RLD ticket in 2017 and faced defeat.