Atiq Ahmad's murderers shouted religious slogans; identified: Latest updates
2 min read . Updated: 16 Apr 2023, 10:43 AM IST
Premium- Atiq and Ashraf were fatally shot at close range during a media interaction while being escorted to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup on Saturday night, by assailants who had disguised themselves as journalists.
The police have apprehended and identified the three perpetrators responsible for the murder of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad.
Atiq and Ashraf were fatally shot at close range during a media interaction while being escorted to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup on Saturday night, by assailants who had disguised themselves as journalists.
Yagya Tiwari (father of Lovelesh, one of the arrested shooters) told the media, “He is my son. We saw the incident on TV. We are not aware of the actions of Lovelesh nor do we have anything to do with this. He never lived here and neither was he involved in our family affairs."
Who are Atiq Ahmad's killers?
1. As per informed sources, three individuals named Arun Maurya, Lavlesh Tiwari, and Sunny have been detained in connection with the murder of Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad. However, no official statement regarding their identities has been released at the time of reporting.
2. Sunny hails from Kasganj, Lavlesh Tiwari is a resident of Banda, and Arun Maurya belongs to Hamirpur, as per available information.
3. According to sources, initial questioning has indicated that the perpetrators wanted to establish themselves in the realm of crime and carried out the murder for this purpose. However, the police are still conducting interrogations and no official details have been provided yet.
4. Providing details of the incident, Prayagraj Commissioner of Police, Ramit Sharma, informed reporters that the three attackers, who were apprehended shortly after the incident, had disguised themselves as journalists and infiltrated the group of media personnel seeking comments from Atiq and Ashraf.
5. According to certain reports, the assailants allegedly posed as journalists, with one of them even carrying a microphone and an identification (ID) card to deceive and gain access to Atiq and Ashraf.
6. While being questioned by the individuals posing as journalists, Atiq started to say, "Main baat yeh hai ki Guddu Muslim..." but was abruptly shot in the head before he could complete his sentence.
7. According to an eyewitness journalist, the attackers yelled "surrender, surrender" and then discarded their firearms on the ground.
In the wake of the assassination of former mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj, Akhilesh Yadav, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and leader of the Samajwadi Party, expressed grave concern over the escalating crime rate in the state.
Yadav lamented that criminals in Uttar Pradesh seem to be emboldened and their morale has risen significantly, indicating a worrisome state of affairs.
Uttar Pradesh Government on Sunday imposed Section 144 of CrPC in all the districts, in the aftermath of Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf Ahmed was shot dead in Prayagraj, officials informed.