<p>The murder of acclaimed Punjabi singer Shubhdep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, has shocked probe agencies as the weapon used was an AN-94 Russian Assault rifle. This is the first time that the AN-94 has been used in a gang war as criminals would earlier carry out killings and encounters with AK-47s.</p>.<p>Sources told IANS that the sophisticated assault riles were being smuggled through Nepal, but the neighbouring nation had no clue about the AN-94 deliveries to India.</p>.<p>The AN-94 is a Russian-made assault rifle, whose initials stand for 'Avtomat Nikonova' 1994 model. The name Nikonova is a homage to its chief designer, Gennadiy Nikonov, who had previously worked on the Nikonov machine gun.</p>.<p>Intelligence agencies and police are of the view that such sophisticated weapons are also being supplied to other state-based gangsters. They also doubt the involvement of an international racket.</p>.<p>"Through the sea route in Mumbai, AK-47s were supplied many times, through Nepal border, it was smuggled into another part of India. Even the security staff of Moosewala had the AK-47. But now we have to focus on the AN-94, its buyers and sellers in the underworld," the sources said, adding that such sophisticated weapons can be procured only after making their payments via the hawala channel.</p>.<p>The AK-47 culture started with Mumbai's notorious D-Company led by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in 1988. The Mumbai underworld had the AK-47 which they used in extortion, land grabbing and other criminal activities.</p>.<p>In 1991, a shootout took place between the police and criminals of the Maya Dolas gang at the Lokhandwala Complex in which the latter was armed with the AK-47.</p>.<p>Several years later, the AK-47 culture reached Uttar Pradesh. Shri Prakash Shukla, an Indian gangster and contract killer active during the 1990s, used the AK-47. Shukla had threatened to kill BJP leader Kalyan Singh.</p>.<p>Shukla, apart from land grabbing and extortion, murder, used to get railway contracts to earn money.</p>.<p>The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force, which was first formed in 1998 to kill Shukla, ultimately gunned him down on September 22 of that year.</p>.<p>In 1997, BJP leader Brahm Dutt Dwivedi was killed by gangster Sanjeev Maheshwari using an AK-47.</p>.<p>On November 29, 2005, BJP MLA from Ghazipur Krishnanand Rai was killed by Munna Bajrangi, who also used an AK-47.</p>.<p>In 2016, BJP leader Brijpal Tewatia was shot dead by car-borne assailants using an AK-47.</p>.<p>In Western Uttar Pradesh, a number of gangsters are using AK-47s. The gangs who used to have these sophisticated weapons are Sundar Bhati and Randeep Bhati gang of Noida; Anil Dujana Gang; Vicky Tyagi of Muzaffarnagar; Sunil Rathi of Baghpat-Uttrakhand; and the Narender Fauji Gang.</p>.<p>In Delhi, an AK-47 was recovered from former MLA Rambir Shokeen who was allegedly supporting his nephew Neeraj Bawana, a dreaded gangster.</p>
<p>The murder of acclaimed Punjabi singer Shubhdep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, has shocked probe agencies as the weapon used was an AN-94 Russian Assault rifle. This is the first time that the AN-94 has been used in a gang war as criminals would earlier carry out killings and encounters with AK-47s.</p>.<p>Sources told IANS that the sophisticated assault riles were being smuggled through Nepal, but the neighbouring nation had no clue about the AN-94 deliveries to India.</p>.<p>The AN-94 is a Russian-made assault rifle, whose initials stand for 'Avtomat Nikonova' 1994 model. The name Nikonova is a homage to its chief designer, Gennadiy Nikonov, who had previously worked on the Nikonov machine gun.</p>.<p>Intelligence agencies and police are of the view that such sophisticated weapons are also being supplied to other state-based gangsters. They also doubt the involvement of an international racket.</p>.<p>"Through the sea route in Mumbai, AK-47s were supplied many times, through Nepal border, it was smuggled into another part of India. Even the security staff of Moosewala had the AK-47. But now we have to focus on the AN-94, its buyers and sellers in the underworld," the sources said, adding that such sophisticated weapons can be procured only after making their payments via the hawala channel.</p>.<p>The AK-47 culture started with Mumbai's notorious D-Company led by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in 1988. The Mumbai underworld had the AK-47 which they used in extortion, land grabbing and other criminal activities.</p>.<p>In 1991, a shootout took place between the police and criminals of the Maya Dolas gang at the Lokhandwala Complex in which the latter was armed with the AK-47.</p>.<p>Several years later, the AK-47 culture reached Uttar Pradesh. Shri Prakash Shukla, an Indian gangster and contract killer active during the 1990s, used the AK-47. Shukla had threatened to kill BJP leader Kalyan Singh.</p>.<p>Shukla, apart from land grabbing and extortion, murder, used to get railway contracts to earn money.</p>.<p>The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force, which was first formed in 1998 to kill Shukla, ultimately gunned him down on September 22 of that year.</p>.<p>In 1997, BJP leader Brahm Dutt Dwivedi was killed by gangster Sanjeev Maheshwari using an AK-47.</p>.<p>On November 29, 2005, BJP MLA from Ghazipur Krishnanand Rai was killed by Munna Bajrangi, who also used an AK-47.</p>.<p>In 2016, BJP leader Brijpal Tewatia was shot dead by car-borne assailants using an AK-47.</p>.<p>In Western Uttar Pradesh, a number of gangsters are using AK-47s. The gangs who used to have these sophisticated weapons are Sundar Bhati and Randeep Bhati gang of Noida; Anil Dujana Gang; Vicky Tyagi of Muzaffarnagar; Sunil Rathi of Baghpat-Uttrakhand; and the Narender Fauji Gang.</p>.<p>In Delhi, an AK-47 was recovered from former MLA Rambir Shokeen who was allegedly supporting his nephew Neeraj Bawana, a dreaded gangster.</p>