Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 7 (ANI): The Prayagraj Special Task Force (STF) nabbed wanted mafia, Ashish Ranjan alias Chhotu Singh, after an encounter on Thursday, Uttar Pradesh STF said in a statement.

Three members of the Pryagraj STF were injured in the encounter after being shot at with an AK-47 rifle and a pistol. The officers sustained minor injuries and were rushed to a hospital for treatment.

According to UP STF, Prayagraj STF received information that Ashish Ranjan alias Chhotu Singh, a resident of JC Mallick Road, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, wanted in several murders, is going to Prayagraj with his partner via PS Shivrajpur Chauraha, Shankargarh, Prayagraj, where he is going to carry out a major incident.

On receiving this information, the Prayagraj team tried to capture him by laying a siege near Shivrajpur Chauraha Police Station, Shankargarh, but he fired at the police team with AK-47 and a pistol with the intention to kill, due to which three members of the STF narrowly escaped the firing with minor injuries. The three were immediately sent to the nearest hospital for treatment, UP STF said.

AK-47 rifle, 9 mm pistol, a large quantity of live empty cartridges and an Adar motorcycle were recovered from the spot.

Necessary action is underway.

Earlier on July 24, Uttar Pradesh Police said that they have made significant strides in cracking down on unlawful religious conversions, arresting 14 individuals involved in a syndicate operating across multiple states.

This operation is part of Mission Asmita, a flagship initiative launched by the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government to identify and eliminate threats linked to illegal religious conversions and radicalisation. Three more individuals were arrested on Wednesday, bringing the total number of arrests to 14. The accused include Junaid Qureshi, who allegedly married a woman after forcefully converting her.

Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested 10 individuals across six states in a crackdown on an unlawful religious conversion syndicate. The operation was led by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Special Task Force (STF), with support from central intelligence agencies. Investigations have uncovered foreign funding from Canada, the US, London, and Dubai, with links to radicalisation and terror groups like PFI, SDPI, and Pakistani terror organisations. (ANI)