With Atiq Ahmed and brother Ashraf gone, what happens to don's empire?

PRAYAGRAJ: With gangster brothers Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf dead and many family members either in jail or in hiding, the million-dollar question is who will look after the gangster's ill-gotten empire worth crores. Based on the crackdown on the 'illegal' properties of Atiq and his henchmen, police have compiled records of assets in Prayagraj, Kaushambi and other districts of the state.
Investigators are also now trying to decipher the total value of benami property that the gangster had in Noida and districts adjoining Prayagraj. There are speculations that those who are looking after Atiq's benami assets worth thousands of crores of rupees, may have to do something with the Saturday events as well.

Because of the repeated crackdown against Atiq by joint teams of police, district administration and revenue department, especially since 2018, Atiq and his henchmen had suffered a loss of over Rs 975 crore which had dented their economic empire.
Properties worth Rs 751 crore belonging to Atiq and his henchmen were demolished at 40 spots in the past. Police have attached or demolished properties in Civil Lines, Mehdauri, Kareli, Lukerganj, Andhawa Crossing Road, Roshan Bagh, Chakia, Jhalwa, Puramufti and Chail in the past four years.

Since Atiq and crime remained synonymous in Prayagraj and adjoining areas for several years, there were many who refrained from going to the police to complain while there were few who raised their voice against his atrocities.
One such case was of a Chowk businessman who was asked to vacate his shop around 30 years ago.
One of the family members, on condition of anonymity recalled: "The shop was owned by my father-in-law at the main Johnstonganj crossing and one evening, five people calling themselves Atiq's 'men' came and asked him to vacate the shop in 24 hours. My father-in-law vacated the shop with whatever little he could gather."
On the contrary, Jayshree alias Surajkali of Jhalwa locality had been fighting the mafioso for three decades after her 12-bigha land was illegally possessed and sold by Atiq.
Surajkali's husband Brij Mohan Kushwaha owned more than 12 bighas of agricultural land.
Surajkali said: "Atiq's father Firoz used to lend his tractor for ploughing on the call of farmers. We also used the red tractor to plough our field. But, Atiq had set his eyes on our land. A few days later, we were told that our land has been registered in the name of Shivkoti Co-operative Housing Society."
"I am illiterate, so I could not understand his plot. What's more my husband suddenly disappeared in 1989 and after that I came to know that the entire land has been transferred to someone. I filed an objection as the land was grabbed by Atiq," she told reporters.
Surajkali said many times Atiq, who was an MLA at that time, had called her to his office to make a deal.
"I used to take my applications to the court, tehsil and police station for years, but there was no one to hear me, " she said.
She and her family were attacked seven times in 30 years, but she continued her fight. As of now, the renaming of Shivkoti Cooperative Housing Society was cancelled due to non-approval from the Ceiling Act and the land is registered in her name in the government records.