Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who breathed his last at R. Durgavati Medical College in Banda, had a strong liking for luxury cars and firearms.
According to reports, the five-time MLA possessed a collection of high-end vehicles with registration numbers ending in ‘786’, a revered sequence in Islam representing ‘Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim’, me.ng ‘In the name of God, the merciful and compassionate’ in Arabic.
Known affectionately as ‘Lambu’ by his college peers, Ansari excelled in cricket and hunting. During his college years, he often rode a Bullet motorcycle and a jeep. By the late 1980s, upon entering the criminal underworld, Ansari already owned a variety of luxury vehicles, including prestigious models such as the Maruti Gypsy, Tata Safari, Ford Endeavour, Pajero Sport, Audi, and BMW.
Car collection
In 1986, upon his release from prison for the murder of contractor Sachchidanand Rai, Ansari was purportedly greeted by his associates outside the jail with a procession of luxury vehicles, each adorned with license plates ending in ‘786’. It is rumored that Ansari possessed six Tata Safaris and a white open-top Gypsy, all featuring ‘786’ endings on their plates.
As per media reports, while Mukhtar was in jail, he expressed his desire to make the international brand SUV Hummer the pride of his convoy. He used to tell prisoners about his cars and say that as soon as he got out of jail, he would buy the SUV Hummer and keep it at the forefront of his convoy, but before fulfilling this dream, he left the world.
Not just Mukhtar, but also his wife Afsa and both sons – Abbas and Umar – possess numerous upscale luxury vehicles. Afsa was said to have owned automobiles such as Audi, Mercedes, and BMW, while her sons had a Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavor, and BMW among their possessions.
With the law enforcement catching up with the family and Ansari being imprisoned in 2005, most of these vehicles have reportedly been seized by investigative agencies as they were discovered to be benami.
In 2021, UP Police had attached the Audi car of the wife of Mukhtar Ansari under Gangsters Act. Car was owned by Ansari’s wife.
