Ashish Ranjan, also known as Chhotu Singh, a prominent gangster from Jharkhand, was killed in an encounter with the UP STF in Prayagraj. Ranjan had a long record of criminal activities in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, including murder, extortion, and robbery. He was closely associated with gangster Aman Singh and implicated in Singh’s murder in Dhanbad jail on December 3, 2023. After the killing of Aman Singh, Ashish Ranjan claimed responsibility for the murder through a video. He was also accused in the murder of coal businessman Neeraj Tiwari. Additionally, his name surfaced in connection to the killings of land traders Sarful Hasan (Lala Khan) and Samir Mandal. Ranjan was also implicated in the murder of Ranjit Sahu and Samir Mandal, who were killed on April 29 near a tire showroom.
