Four persons, including a Varanasi BJP leader and a police constable, were found murdered in Varanasi this morning. The police suspect the involvement of a prominent mafia leader from eastern Uttar Pradesh in the case who is also said to be a supporter of Chief Minister Mayawati, sources said.The victims have been identified as Anil Rai, a BJP leader, constable Chandrama Singh, Shailendra Singh and Phulram. The four men were travelling in a car when they were allegedly attacked by four assailants on motorbikes who were armed with AK-47 rifles. While the leader and his companions died on the spot, the assailants managed to escape.‘‘Police and Special Task Force (STF) personnel have been roped in to nab the culprits. Raids are also being conducted in the nearby pockets of Azamgarh and Jaunpur districts in the state to establish the links of the killers,’’ said Vikram Singh, ADG (Law and Order).Sources said that the police suspect the involvement of jailed mafia leader and Independent MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who had recently extended support to the Mayawati government, in the case.The sources added that Anil Rai also had a criminal background and was said to be close to Abhay Singh, another prominent mafia leader of the region.In July, members of Mukhtar Ansari’s gang had allegedly attacked Independent MLA Dhananjay Singh (who is now in jail) in Varanasi. Dhananjay survived the attack but a police constable was killed in the incident. ADG Vikram Singh said, ‘‘Both incidents have striking similarities. We hope to crack the case soon.’’
