Lucknow, Jan 31 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh police has booked Abbas Ansari, elder son of gangster Mukhtar Ansari, in another case of Gangsters' Act.

Abbas is already in jail in a money-laundering case. The case was registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate in November 2022, and his four aides.

Chitrakoot SP Arun Kumar Singh confirmed that the FIR of Gangsters' Act was lodged against Abbas and his aides in Chitrakoot.

He said the Gangsters' Act was imposed against Abbas, canteen contractor Navneet Sachan, Abbas' wife, Nikhat Ansari's driver, Niyaz Ansari, local politician Faraz Khan and a Varanasi chartered accountant, Shahbaz Alam Khan.

He said the Gangsters' Act was imposed after finding concrete evidence that they all operated their gang in an organised manner from inside the jail when Abbas was lodged in Chitrakoot jail for around four months from November 2022 to February 2023.

Another police official said that the canteen contractor, Navneet Sachan, driver Niyaz Khan and local politician Faraz Khan, in connivance with prison officials, were instrumental in facilitating things for Abbas while Shahbaz Alam Khan made payments to them at the behest of Abbas.

He said this nexus operating from the Chitrakoot jail was exposed when Nikhat, who is presently out on bail, was arrested on February 11, 2023, for illegally entering the jail along with Niyaz, during a surprise raid.

He said that jail officials, including the superintendent, were suspended for being in connivance with them and five people including a prison official were arrested in this connection.

Abbas, who is the sitting MLA from Mau assembly on Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) ticket, was shifted out of Chitrakoot jail to Kasganj jail 500 km away on February 18, 2023, after this incident.

Mukhtar is serving jail sentence and faces trial in multiple cases.