Asad and Ghulam opened fireplace at a staff of UP STF and had been killed in retaliatory motion, police mentioned
Dreaded gangster Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad, needed within the Umesh Pal homicide case, was gunned down by Uttar Pradesh police in an encounter in Jhansi on Thursday. His co-accused Ghulam was additionally shot lifeless.
Each Asad and Ghulam had a reward of Rs 5 lakh on their heads. Asad Ahmed had been captured by a CCTV digicam throughout the assault on Pal and was on the run since.
Ghulam opened fireplace at a staff of Uttar Pradesh Particular Activity Pressure round midday on Thursday and the 2 had been killed in retaliatory motion, police mentioned. Refined weapons, new cellphones and SIM playing cards have been recovered from them, they added.
Based on police sources, Asad Ahmed had fled to Lucknow after the killing of Umesh Pal. He later moved to Kanpur after which Meerut earlier than reaching Delhi, it’s learnt. He then determined to flee to Madhya Pradesh. He reached Jhansi and was on his technique to the state border on a motorbike when police intercepted him. Asad was reportedly in disguise. Police sources mentioned they’d an informer in Atiq Ahmed’s gang who advised them about Asad’s whereabouts.
Asad’s gun recovered from the spot after the encounter
Sharing particulars concerning the encounter, police mentioned a staff of 12 led by two DSP-rank officers carried out the operation. A complete of 42 rounds had been fired throughout the encounter at Babina street in Jhansi.
The encounter killings occurred on a day Atiq Ahmed was produced in court docket in the identical homicide case and despatched to judicial custody for 14 days.
Umesh Pal, a lawyer, was a witness within the 2005 homicide of BSP MLA Raju Pal. On February 24, he was shot lifeless in a daylight assault outdoors his residence in Prayagraj. The safety personnel guarding him had been additionally killed. Stunning visuals of the assault prompted questions on Uttar Pradesh’s regulation and order state of affairs and the federal government got here below sturdy criticism by the Opposition.
Umesh Pal’s homicide additionally put the highlight again on Atiq Ahmed, a gangster-turned-politician with over 100 instances in opposition to him. A former Samajwadi Social gathering MP, he was convicted final month in a kidnapping case and sentenced to life imprisonment. This case associated to the kidnapping of Umesh Pal again in 2006 — 17 years earlier than he was ultimately murdered.
The encounter killings of Atiq Ahmed’s son and his affiliate come in opposition to the backdrop of the gangster’s repeated allegations that the Uttar Pradesh police plans to gun him down in a staged encounter.
In reality, the gangster advised reporters yesterday that he was secure due to the media. “It is due to you (media) that I’m secure,” he advised the press whereas being delivered to Prayagraj for a court docket date.
The gangster was moved to a jail in Gujarat on the instructions of the Supreme Courtroom after he was accused of engineering the kidnapping of an actual property businessman whereas in jail. He has been within the Sabarmati central jail since June 2019.
Over the previous couple of months, Atiq Ahmed has been repeatedly delivered to Uttar Pradesh for court docket hearings. The high-profile nature of the case and the gangster’s apprehensions of a staged encounter has ensured intensive media protection of the actions.
After Thursday’s encounter, 4 folks linked to Umesh Pal’s homicide have been gunned down. Police are nonetheless in search of Guddu Muslim, who allegedly lobbed a bomb throughout the taking pictures, and one other alleged shooter Sabir. Atiq Ahmed’s spouse Shayista can be on the run.
