Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead while being taken for a medical check-up in Prayagraj.
The incident occurred just a few days after Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad was killed in an encounter in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
Atiq Ahmed was a former mafia don turned politician and had been accused in several criminal cases, including the 2005 murder case of BSP MLA Raju Pal and the recent murder of Umesh Pal in February this year.
This comes days after Atiq’s son Asad and his associate Ghulam were killed in a shootout with the state’s Special Task Force (STF) in Jhansi district. Asad was accused of firing the shots that led to the murder of lawyer Umesh Pal on February 24. The incident took place on Thursday.
Both Asad and Ghulam were carrying a reward of ₹5 lakh on their head since they killed Umesh in broad daylight on a busy street in Prayagraj on February 24.
The encounter was led by deputy SPs Navendu and Vimal, and foreign-made weapons were recovered from the site.
Asad was leading the attack party which gunned down Umesh, his two bodyguards and his advocate, according to CCTV footage. He has been on the run since.
Despite a statewide search, Asad had managed to evade the police for more than a month, frequently changing his locations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
According to the Delhi Police, Asad stayed for 13 days in Sangam Vihar area of South Delhi. The man, who gave shelter to the notorious criminal, was detained by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell earlier this month.
During the course of their investigation, the Delhi Police found out that one of the arrested men had provided financial help to Asad and had even visited Meerut to get cash.
The UP Police had already arrested over a dozen persons and had gunned down two of the conspirators and attackers last month.
The UP Police has announced a reward of ₹25,000 for Atiq’s wife, Shaista Parveen, for her alleged involvement in the murder conspiracy of Umesh Pal.
Incidentally, Asad has been killed on a day when his father Atiq and uncle Asraf were produced before a magistrate court in Prayagraj in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.
Umesh was under pressure from Atiq’s men to withdraw himself from the trial of the murder of Raju Pal, who was allegedly killed by Atiq’s men after he defeated Asraf in Assembly elections.