Tag: Ashraf Ahmed

  • Atiq Ahmed’s letter in sealed envelope being sent to CJI & UP CM: Lawyer

    Atiq Ahmed (60) and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night. PRAYAGRAJ: A letter by Atiq Ahmed with instructions to send it to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister and the chief justice of India in case of his death is being dispatched to them, the slain gangster-turned-politicians lawyer said on Tuesday.

    “That letter in a sealed envelope is neither with me nor sent by me. It is kept somewhere else and sent by some other person. I don’t know the contents of the letter,” said his lawyer Vijay Mishra.

    Atiq Ahmed (60) and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup.

    “Atiq Ahmed had said that if there were any mishap or if he was murdered, the letter in the sealed envelope should be sent to the chief justice of India and Uttar Pradesh chief minister,” Mishra told PTI.

    The brothers, both jailed in Prayagraj, were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews.

    The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on social media platforms and television channels.

    WEB SCRAWL | In UP badlands, will Atiq’s killing see new breed of criminals who seek fame by targeting bigger fish?

    The last rites of Ahmed’s son Asad, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed here just hours before the shooting.

    They were brought to Prayagraj from Gujarat and Bareilly prisons for interrogation in connection with the killing of Umesh Pal and his two police security guards earlier this year.

    Ahmed had moved the Supreme Court for protection, claiming that he and his family have been falsely implicated in the Umesh Pal murder case and he might be killed in a fake encounter by the Uttar Pradesh Police.

    ALSO READ | I’ll be found dead by the roadside: Atiq’s premonition came true

    WATCH |

  • SIT formed to probe Atiq Ahmed’s murder, assailants shifted from Prayagraj jail

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the killing of Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf, even as the three assailants who shot the two brothers were shifted from the Prayagraj Central Prison to a Pratapgarh jail on Monday.

    The shifting of the shooters to the Pratapgarh District Jail was done on administrative grounds, officials said.

    Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said the SIT was formed on the instructions of Prayagraj Police Commissioner Ramit Sharma.

    “The investigation of the case pertaining to the murder of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf is being carried out by the SHO of Shahganj police station,” said a statement issued by Sharma on Sunday night.

    “In order to ensure impartial and qualitative investigation, this investigation will be carried out by a Special Investigation Team,” it added.

    ALSO READ | Gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed, brother Ashraf buried in UP’s Prayagraj

    According to the statement, the SIT will be headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime, Satish Chandra, while its other two members are Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kotwali police station) Satyendra Prasad Tiwari and Inspector, Investigation Cell of Crime Branch, Om Prakash.

    In another statement, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police R K Vishwakarma said a three-member team of supervisors has also been formed to ensure qualitative investigation and time-bound action.

    This team is headed by the additional director general of police of Prayagraj zone.

    The other two members are the police commissioner of Prayagraj and the director of the Forensic Science Laboratory, Lucknow, the DGP said.

    The three assailants — Mohit alias Sunny (23) of Hamirpur, Lavlesh Tiwari (22) of Banda and Arun Maurya (18) of Kasganj — were taken from Prayagraj at 12 noon and reached Pratapgarh at 2.10 pm, the officials said.

    The trio were arrested soon after the dramatic shootout outside the Prayagraj hospital where policemen were escorting gangster-politician Ahmed and his brother Ashraf for a medical check-up Saturday night.

    Sources said that the police may submit an application in the court in a day or two seeking remand of the three assailants.

    On Sunday, the attackers were sent to 14-day judicial custody by the court.

    Meanwhile, Prayagraj Central Prison officials refuted reports in a section of media regarding the health of Ali, Atiq Ahmed’s son who is currently lodged there, and said that these reports are “not true” and he is “completely healthy”.

    According to the reports, Ali has been unwell since hearing the news of his father’s killing.

    ALSO READ: I’ll be found dead by the roadside: Atiq’s premonition came true

    Normal activities were yet to resume in Kasari-Masari, the place where Ahmed’s ancestral house is located, and adjoining areas of Prayagraj on Monday, a day after the former MP and his brother Ashraf were buried in their native place.

    The sensitive places in Allahabad West assembly constituency, which was the stronghold of the former Lok Sabha MP, on Monday continued to witness heavy deployment of police personnel.

    However, normalcy returned to other parts of the city, including in and around the Civil Line bus depot and Hanuman Temple on Monday.

    According to the police, the three assailants posted as journalists, carrying video cameras, mike and media identity cards.

    While Sunny is a history-sheeter and has 14 criminal cases, including that of murder, pending against him in Hamirpur, Tiwari faces cases of selling illicit liquor, manhandling and harassing women in Banda, a police officer said.

    Maurya’s criminal history is being traced, the official said.

    Three firearms — a country-made A-30 pistol (7.62), a made-in-Turkiye nine-mm Girsan pistol and a 9-mm Zigana pistol — were recovered from them.

    An FIR was registered at Shahganj police station under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and provisions of the Arms Act against Tiwari, Sunny and Maurya in connection with the killing of Atiq and his brother.

    On Sunday, a three-member judicial commission was constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to look into Ahmed’s murder which will submit its report within two months.

    The commission is headed by Justice (retired) Arvind Kumar Tripathi.

    Former director general of police Subesh Kumar Singh and former district judge Brijesh Kumar Soni are its members.

    Ahmad and Ashraf were brought to Prayagraj from Gujarat and Bareilly prisons for interrogation in connection with the killing of Umesh Pal and his two police security guards earlier this year.

    LUCKNOW: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the killing of Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf, even as the three assailants who shot the two brothers were shifted from the Prayagraj Central Prison to a Pratapgarh jail on Monday.

    The shifting of the shooters to the Pratapgarh District Jail was done on administrative grounds, officials said.

    Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said the SIT was formed on the instructions of Prayagraj Police Commissioner Ramit Sharma.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “The investigation of the case pertaining to the murder of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf is being carried out by the SHO of Shahganj police station,” said a statement issued by Sharma on Sunday night.

    “In order to ensure impartial and qualitative investigation, this investigation will be carried out by a Special Investigation Team,” it added.

    ALSO READ | Gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed, brother Ashraf buried in UP’s Prayagraj

    According to the statement, the SIT will be headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime, Satish Chandra, while its other two members are Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kotwali police station) Satyendra Prasad Tiwari and Inspector, Investigation Cell of Crime Branch, Om Prakash.

    In another statement, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police R K Vishwakarma said a three-member team of supervisors has also been formed to ensure qualitative investigation and time-bound action.

    This team is headed by the additional director general of police of Prayagraj zone.

    The other two members are the police commissioner of Prayagraj and the director of the Forensic Science Laboratory, Lucknow, the DGP said.

    The three assailants — Mohit alias Sunny (23) of Hamirpur, Lavlesh Tiwari (22) of Banda and Arun Maurya (18) of Kasganj — were taken from Prayagraj at 12 noon and reached Pratapgarh at 2.10 pm, the officials said.

    The trio were arrested soon after the dramatic shootout outside the Prayagraj hospital where policemen were escorting gangster-politician Ahmed and his brother Ashraf for a medical check-up Saturday night.

    Sources said that the police may submit an application in the court in a day or two seeking remand of the three assailants.

    On Sunday, the attackers were sent to 14-day judicial custody by the court.

    Meanwhile, Prayagraj Central Prison officials refuted reports in a section of media regarding the health of Ali, Atiq Ahmed’s son who is currently lodged there, and said that these reports are “not true” and he is “completely healthy”.

    According to the reports, Ali has been unwell since hearing the news of his father’s killing.

    ALSO READ: I’ll be found dead by the roadside: Atiq’s premonition came true

    Normal activities were yet to resume in Kasari-Masari, the place where Ahmed’s ancestral house is located, and adjoining areas of Prayagraj on Monday, a day after the former MP and his brother Ashraf were buried in their native place.

    The sensitive places in Allahabad West assembly constituency, which was the stronghold of the former Lok Sabha MP, on Monday continued to witness heavy deployment of police personnel.

    However, normalcy returned to other parts of the city, including in and around the Civil Line bus depot and Hanuman Temple on Monday.

    According to the police, the three assailants posted as journalists, carrying video cameras, mike and media identity cards.

    While Sunny is a history-sheeter and has 14 criminal cases, including that of murder, pending against him in Hamirpur, Tiwari faces cases of selling illicit liquor, manhandling and harassing women in Banda, a police officer said.

    Maurya’s criminal history is being traced, the official said.

    Three firearms — a country-made A-30 pistol (7.62), a made-in-Turkiye nine-mm Girsan pistol and a 9-mm Zigana pistol — were recovered from them.

    An FIR was registered at Shahganj police station under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and provisions of the Arms Act against Tiwari, Sunny and Maurya in connection with the killing of Atiq and his brother.

    On Sunday, a three-member judicial commission was constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to look into Ahmed’s murder which will submit its report within two months.

    The commission is headed by Justice (retired) Arvind Kumar Tripathi.

    Former director general of police Subesh Kumar Singh and former district judge Brijesh Kumar Soni are its members.

    Ahmad and Ashraf were brought to Prayagraj from Gujarat and Bareilly prisons for interrogation in connection with the killing of Umesh Pal and his two police security guards earlier this year.