2 henchmen of underworld don Munna Bajrangi held

Varanasi, June 23 (UNI) In a major catch, the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh police today arrested two henchmen of underworld don Munna Bajrangi, who is wanted in connection with the 2005 high-profile killing of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.

Rajesh Chaudhary and Shyam Kashyap, both hailing from Varanasi, were arrested from Shivpur area here this evening, following a specific tip off, STF sources said.

Two nine mm pistols, cartridges and a motorcycle were recovered from the spot.

After the elimination of Munna Bajrangi's hitman Dipak Agrahari in a police encounter, the nabbed duo were working as main henchmen for the underworld don in Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur and Bhadohi districts.

On interrogation, they admitted of commiting at least nine sensational murders in Varanasi, Chandauli and Bhadohi in the recent past, including the murder of Congress leader Ram Lal Tripathi in March last.

Suprisingly, the name of the two arrested criminals did not figure among the accused of any of the nine sensational murder cases, sources added.

The STF is now on the lookout for Sanjay Yadav and Manioj alias Nirhau, the other two sharp-shooters of the Munna Bajrangi gang, planning major crime in the region in the days to come.

Underworld don Munna Bajrangi, wanted among other cases in the November 29, 2005 murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai is presently carrying a reward of Rs five lakh announced by the CBI, besides a bounty of Rs two lakh announced by the UP government on his head.

UNI