Shamli: A notorious gangster, Mohammed Furqan, who carried a Rs 1 lakh bounty and was regarded by the Uttar Pradesh Police as a key figure behind the migration of traders and Hindu families from western Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana town, was killed in a police encounter in Shamli district on August 5, officials said.
The encounter took place around 3 pm in the forests near Rangana village under the Jhinjhana police station limits. During the exchange of fire, a police constable sustained a bullet injury to the abdomen and was referred to Meerut for advanced treatment.
🚨 BIG BREAKING
Furqan, a key Mukeem Kala gang member with a ₹1 lakh bounty and 20+ serious cases, KILLED in an ENCOUNTER in Shamli forests.
=> His gang was behind the Kairana Hindu migration issue. pic.twitter.com/8bj0BFDijh
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) August 5, 2026
Shamli Superintendent of Police Narendra Pratap Singh said Furqan, believed to be around 50 years old, was killed after allegedly opening fire on the police team. He was wanted in several serious criminal cases, including murder, robbery, extortion, and organised crime, and had a Rs 1 lakh reward on his arrest.
According to the police, Furqan was a key member of the Mukim Kala gang, which spread terror across western Uttar Pradesh through murders, extortion rackets, and other criminal activities. Officials said the gang’s reign of fear played a significant role in driving traders and Hindu families out of Kairana, with around 346 families reportedly migrating from the town.
Police said Furqan first came into prominence after the daylight murder of trader leader Vinod Singhal in August 2014. Singhal, who owned a grocery shop in Kairana’s main market, was allegedly shot dead after refusing to pay extortion money demanded by the gang, triggering widespread panic among the local business community.
Although Furqan was arrested in the case and spent nearly six months in jail, he later secured bail. Police alleged that after his release, he resumed his criminal activities and continued to threaten traders.
Among those allegedly targeted was businessman Ishwar Chand alias Billu, who owned a cold drink agency. Police said Furqan demanded extortion money from him and threatened that he would meet the same fate as Vinod Singhal if he refused to pay. Fearing for their lives, Billu and his family allegedly left Kairana and settled in Panipat.
Police further alleged that around the same period, Mukim Kala orchestrated the murders of traders Rajendra and Shiv Kumar after they too refused to pay extortion money. The killings sparked widespread protests, with traders shutting down markets and demanding stringent action against criminal gangs.
The deteriorating law and order situation eventually became a major political issue. On May 30, 2016, then BJP MP Hukum Singh raised the issue of the migration of traders and Hindu families from Kairana and released a list of 346 families who had allegedly left the town. The matter subsequently emerged as a major political flashpoint in Uttar Pradesh.
Following the controversy, the then Director General of Police announced a Rs 50,000 reward for Furqan’s arrest. He was arrested again after a police encounter in the forests near Aldi village under the Kandhla police station area on April 8, 2017, but later secured bail.
According to the police, Furqan subsequently became involved in narcotics trafficking in 2019 and was jailed again. After Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s visit to Kairana on November 8, 2021, he surrendered before a court after cancelling his bail in a case registered under the Gangsters Act. He remained in jail for a brief period before obtaining bail once again. Since then, he had been absconding for nearly four years, prompting the police to increase the reward for his arrest to Rs 1 lakh.
