Man who had opened fire at Umesh Pal shot in encounter in Prayagraj

PRAYAGRAJ: The Prayagraj police gunned down on Monday morning a 23-year-old criminal, Vijay Chaudhary, alias Usman, claiming that he had fired the first shot in the killing of Umesh Pal, the prime witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, on February 24 in the city. Police claimed that Usman firing the first shot had been captured by a CCTV camera. There was a Rs 50,000 cash reward for information leading to his arrest.
The encounter, the second in the Umesh Pal murder case, took place between Gothi and Belwa, in Kaudhiyara police station area, at around 5.30 am. Usman was shot in the neck, chest and thigh during the encounter, police said. He was rushed to SRN Hospital, but doctors declared him “dead on arrival”. Constable Narendra was injured in the encounter and admitted to Kaudhiyara community health centre for treatment. On February 27, the police had shot Arbaaz dead in Dhoomanganj police station area. Arbaaz was a resident of Kaushambi.
Police claimed he had driven the assailants in a getaway SUV after the crime on February 24. Commissioner of police (Prayagraj) Ramit Sharma told TOI, “Acting upon a tip-off that a criminal wanted in connection with the killings of Umesh Pal and his two gunners was moving around Kaudhiyara area, a joint team of Kaudhiyara, Khiri and Shakargarh police launched a search operation after cordoning off the area.”
W hen the police teams intercepted the criminal, he opened fire at the police and the cops retaliated, injuring the criminal. The injured criminal was taken to SRN Hospital where doctors declared him dead,” Sharma added. Police have seized one .32 pistol and several rounds of live and spent ammunition from his possession. He was mentioned as Usman in the police records but a background check revealed that his real name was Vijay Chaudhary. “He was given the name Usman by gangster Atiq Ahmad himself after he joined the gang sometime ago,” a police officer said.
The police commissioner claimed that Usman was the first shooter to open fire at lawyer Umesh Pal, as seen on CCTV footage. In Lucknow, ADG (law and order) Prashant Kumar said that police would track down every criminal involved in the murder. “In the video footage of the fateful day Usman was seen opening fire at the victim Umesh Pal and his two police gunners," he said. “Police are probing the history of Vijay Chaudhary and when and how he became Usman. All those who are giving shelter to the suspects in the murder are accomplices and will not be let off,” he added.
“Prayagraj Development Authority is also scanning the property details of the suspects involved in the murder case and is continuously doing a demolition drive of their property obtained by illegal means (sic),” the ADG said. Highly placed sources in the police department told TOI that Atiq gang shooter Ghulam, who is also an accused in the February 24 killing and carries a Rs 2.5 lakh bounty on his head, had introduced Usman to Atiq Ahmad. “He was promised Rs 10 lakh cash and an SUV after the killing of Umesh Pal,” a police source said. Sources, however, said he was only paid Rs 50,000 by Atiq’s henchmen. “Before joining the Atiq gang, Vijay was a small-time criminal and pickpocket. Although he was named Usman by Atiq, it is being probed whether he had converted,” a source said.
The special task force had also arrested one Sadakat Khan, a resident of Ghazipur, in connection with the conspiracy behind the killing of Umesh Pal. On Sunday, the UP DGP announced Rs 2.5 lakh cash rewards for information leading to the arrests of the five main accused in the case — Arman, Asad (Atiq’s son), Ghulam, Guddu Muslim and Sabir. After the February 24 killings Umesh Pal’s wife, Jaya, had filed an FIR naming Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and several others at Dhoomanganj police station as being responsible for the murder of her husband.