Shri Prakash Shukla is an Indian gangster and professional killer who mainly operated in Uttar Pradesh in the 1990s. He is believed to have signed a contract worth Rs. Six Crores killed the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh. Shukla was killed in an encounter with the UP STF on September 22, 1998.
Wiki/Biography
Shri Prakash Shukla was born in 1973 (age 25; time of death) in Mamkhor village, near Khattabazar, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Shukla has a keen interest in wrestling and is a famous wrestler in the village. He won several wrestling championships in his village and neighboring areas.
family and caste
Shri Prakash Shukla was born into a Brahmin family. His father is a school teacher. Little is known about his mother. He has a sister.
Enter the world of crime
The story begins in 1993 when Shukla’s sister was returning home from college when a man named Rakesh Tiwari whistled at her. This incident angered Shukla and he killed Rakesh. Shukla was only 20 years old at the time. This is Shukla’s first criminal record. After the murder, Shukla flew to Bangkok and stayed there for some time. Lacking adequate financial resources, Shukla found it difficult to survive long-term in Bangkok and returned to India. In India, Shri Prakash traveled to Mokarma, Bihar, where he contacted Suraj Bhan, a feared politician who had over 30 criminal charges against him.
Relationship with Suraj Bhan
Shukla’s meeting with Suraj Bann led to their association and finding a godfather in Suraj. Initially, he worked for Bhan. Gradually, he started building his empire and expanded his illegal business to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, West Bengal and Nepal. His gang ranged from kidnapping, drug trafficking, lottery tricks to murder and extortion. It is estimated that Shukla took the lives of around 20 people during his lifetime.
Make enemies for yourself
In 1997, Shukla shot dead Virendra Shahi, MLA of Maharajganj Laxmipur and a member of UP underworld. Shahi is the axis of the criminal world in UP. News spread like wildfire that a new boy appeared in the underworld and killed Vijender Shahi. Shukla’s fear spread across Uttar Pradesh. The old mafiosi were also frightened by the news. Shahi’s rival Hari Shankar Tiwari was believed to be his next target as Shukla wanted the Chilupal Assembly seat; the seat then held by Hari Shankar Tiwari.
On May 26, 1998, his gang abducted Kunal Rastogi (son of a businessman) from Lucknow Botanical Gardens. When his father tried to save Kunal, Prakash shot him. His gang demanded Rs. 5 Crore to free the boy.
Shukla killed Bihar minister Brij Behari Prasad in June 1998 while he was undergoing surgery at a Patna hospital.
Plan to assassinate then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh
While the Uttar Pradesh police were still trying to track down Brij Behari’s murderers, the then Farrukhabad MP Sakshi Maharaj claimed that Shukla took away a copy worth Rs 10 lakh contract. 60 million rupees to kill the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh. But he did not disclose the source of this information. The UP Police STF has only one purpose and that is to catch Shri Prakash Shukla, life or death.
most wanted criminal
In his twenties, Shri Prakash Shukla became one of the most feared and ruthless gangsters in Uttar Pradesh and North Bihar. He created panic among businessmen and other gangsters, but no one within his sphere of influence dared to confront him. He made many enemies in a short period of time. Shukla has also caused headaches for politicians, who have complained against him to the police department and asked them to take urgent action against him. In April 1998, the UP police formed the STF, which captured or killed 43 of the state’s top criminals. Shukla is also on the list.
Find key clues
The crime show India’s Most Wanted aired two episodes on Shri Prakash Shukla from September 8 to 15, 1998. The host of the show, Suhaib Ilyasi, claimed that he received threatening calls from Shukla after the show aired. Ilyasi also said that he received an anonymous call on September 10, 1998, stating that Shukla and his associates were seen sitting in a blue Daewoo Cielo near AIIMS in Delhi. On September 21, 1998, he received another anonymous call that Shukla had been seen driving a blue Daewoo Cielo in Ghaziabad. Ilyasi immediately forwarded the information to the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh police.
In September 1998, UP police discovered some major clues about Shukla. Some sources revealed that Shri Prakash lived in an apartment in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. His business thrives in darkness. Normally, he would call to ask about his affairs when the lights dimmed. Shukla used to spend hours talking to his girlfriend on the phone.
Death – Shukla’s relief from fear
Shukla reportedly owned 14 SIM cards at the time, but in the last few weeks of his life, he only used one to make calls. This made it easy for police to track his phone and find his location. On September 21, 1998, an informant told the STF that Shri Prakash would fly to Ranchi on an Air India flight at 5.45 am the next day. The STF has prepared its forces and established tight security at the Delhi airport. Shukla did not reach the airport. However, he continued to use the same SIM card, which made it easy for the police to catch him.
On September 22, 1998, the police learned that Shukla had gone to Ghaziabad to meet his girlfriend. Therefore, they laid a trap on the Delhi-Ghaziabad road to catch him. Around 1.50 pm, his blue Daewoo Cielo car passed the Mohan Nagar flyover, where five police vehicles were already parked. As soon as the police saw his car approaching, they accelerated towards him and managed to detour him to a kilometer away from the national highway. Seeing himself trapped by the police, Shukla pulled out his rifle and fired 14 shots at them. In return, the police fired 45 bullets at Shukla and his companions and succeeded in killing them.
On November 5, 1998, members of Shukla’s gang shot dead STF member Pritam Singh in revenge.
Facts/Trivia
- Shri Prakash Shukla is passionate about cars and women. He has several girlfriends.
- Shukla also loves fancy clothes.
- In 2005, Sushant Singh played Shukla in the film “Sehar”, which was based on the UP STF’s arrest of Shukla.
- In 2010, the TV series “Gunahon Ka Devta” was launched. One of the characters in the series is based on Shukla.
- In 2018, Zee5 released Rangbaaz, a web series based on the life of Shri Prakash Shukla.
- According to a UP STF report, Shri Prakash is associated with leaders like Prabha Dwivedi, Amramani Tripathi, Ramapati Shastri, Markandey Chand, Jayanarayan Tiwari, Sundar Singh Baghel, Shiv Pratap Shukla, Jitendra Kumar Jaiswal, RK Chaudhary, Madan Singh, Akhilesh and others Singh and Ashtabja Shukla. They helped him hide from the police, and some of them even provided him with shelter.
- Shukla reportedly made a final threat to a builder of 105 apartments in Lucknow. He demanded Rs. The builder is selling each apartment for `50,000.
- Shukla apparently carries an AK 47 rifle with him wherever he goes.
- According to police reports, the STF spent over Rs. 1 Crore to get Shukla. This is the first time that such a huge amount of money has been spent to trap criminals. At the time, using surveillance was a costly process.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education