In Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, a gangster was shot and murdered outside a courthouse, and a police officer was wounded, sparking new concerns about the situation of law and order in the region. According to reports, the shooter was dressed as a lawyer.

In a video, gang leader Sanjiv Maheshwari, also known as Sanjiv Jeeva, who oversaw a criminal organisation in western UP, could be seen slumped to the ground while medical personnel worked to stem his bleeding from bullet wounds.

Right now, it’s unclear if there were many shooters. According to reports, the solicitors in attendance at the court were able to hold onto one of the assailants and turn him over to the police. 

The criminal was fired at as he entered the courthouse while being hauled to a municipal court in the Kaiserbagh neighbourhood of the city. He was wearing a green shirt and blue jeans.

Sanjiv Jeeva was the leader of various criminal organisations in the state and was accused in a dozen criminal cases. According to estimates, there were at least 50 criminal cases against him in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the many years he had spent behind bars. 

According to some sources, he was also friends with the mafia from eastern Uttar Pradesh, such Mukhtar Ansari. It’s unclear how the assailant entered the courthouse with a handgun in tow. Two months have passed after mobster Atiq Ahmed was fatally murdered by police after being taken into custody.