Prayagraj: Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf brought to CJM court amid tight security

A police van carrying convicted gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother former MLA Ashraf on Thursday arrived at Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Prayagraj in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.
Heavy security was seen deployed outside the court.
Prayagraj police unit is likely to plead for a 14-day custody remand of Atiq and his brother Ashraf to question them, officials said.
On April 12, police brought these two criminals from Sabarmati Jail and Bareilly Jail to Prayagraj’s Naini Jail.
Earlier, Ashraf was shifted to Bareilly jail while Atiq was being brought to Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail.
Ashraf along with Atiq Ahmed were held guilty in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case by Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj MP-MLA Court on March 28. The court had also sentenced Atiq to rigorous life imprisonment in the abduction case of the now-deceased Umesh Pal.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on April 12 seized Rs 75 lakhs of Indian and foreign currency as well as some documents pertaining to nearly 200 bank accounts and 50 shell entities from the premises of jailed gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his associates.
The seizure followed a massive raid conducted by the ED sleuths at 15 locations in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj yesterday.
The case in which Ahmed is facing trial is linked to the murder of Pal and his two police security guards who were shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj’s Dhoomanganj area on February 24 this year.
Uttar Pradesh Police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) on February 25 against Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others following a complaint lodged by Pal’s wife.
Atiq Ahmed and his family came under the scanner in the Umesh Pal murder case.
Umesh Pal, a key witness to the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party leader Raju Pal and one of his two armed security escorts was shot dead in Prayagraj’s Sulem Saray area on February 24. Several rounds were fired and bombs were hurled at Umesh and his gunners.