A dreaded gangster, wanted in at least 30 criminal cases, was shot dead near a temple in Jharkhand's Dumka district in the early hours of Friday by men who were dressed as 'kanwariyas', police said.

Amarnath Singh, a resident of Jamshedpur, went to Basukinath temple in Dumka along with his family to offer obeisance in the holy month of 'Shravan' when the gunmen shot him from point blank range, they said.