BSP leader’s son was home, then video made news and he went missing
A joint team of UP and Delhi police raided Ashish Pandey’s Lucknow but only found a domestic help who said he had come on Monday and left around 9 am Tuesday soon after the video of him brandishing a gun outside the Delhi hotel went viral
india Updated: Oct 16, 2018 23:35 ISTA former BSP lawmaker’s son, seen pulling out a gun and threatening a woman at the entrance of a 5-star hotel in south Delhi in a viral video, was at his Lucknow flat till Tuesday morning but left soon after the clip began to be aired on TV channels, police said.
A joint team of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi police raided Ashish Pandey’s flat number 301 and 302 at the B Block of the Santusthi Apartments, situated near the Gulistan colony where politicians and bureaucrats live, but only found a domestic help there, Lucknow’s additional superintendent of police, east, Sarvesh Mishra said.
The man told police that Pandey comes to flat only once or twice in a month but had come on Monday and left around 9 am Tuesday soon after the video of him brandishing a gun outside the Delhi hotel went viral. Pandey’s wife also left the flat at around 11am, he added.
Another senior police official said Pandey’s location was traced to different parts of the city till Tuesday afternoon. However, his last location was traced to Basti district.
Director general of police OP Singh has deployed the Special Task Force (STF) to trace Pandey on a request from the Delhi police.
He said the UP police are extending all possible help to the Delhi police and the three teams of STF have already been formed to nab Pandey.
Apart from Pandey’s flat in Gautampalli area, his office in Gomti Nagar was also searched while a team has also been sent to his hometown Ambedkarnagar, he added.
The DGP said that Pandey had a license for a pistol since 2000 but could not confirm whether the pistol that he is seen brandishing in the viral video, was the same licensed one.
Pandey’s father Rakesh Pandey was elected as MP on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket from Ambedkarnagar constituency in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Before joining BSP in 2007, he was a Samajwadi Party MLA.
The accused’s younger brother, Rakesh Tripathi, is a sitting BSP MLA from Jalalpur constituency of Ambedkarnagar.
Pandey and his family members are involved in real estate and liquor business for the past many years.
First Published: Oct 16, 2018 21:35 IST