Lucknow, 14 April: Close aides of don Abu Salem in Maharashtra were said to have arranged accommodation and other amenities for incarcerated don Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad and gunman Ghulam, who were implicated in the Umesh Pal murder case, to be in their company while they were on the run.
On Thursday, Asad and Ghulam were slain in a police confrontation in Jhansi. Asad and Ghulam were fleeing after the murder of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal case, in February of this year. Atiq’s brother Ashraf, who is imprisoned in Bareilly, assisted Asad and Ghulam in fleeing to Maharashtra, where they got assistance from gangster Abu Salem’s close aides, who provided them an accommodation where they could hide.
According to Uttar Pradesh Police officials, a Delhi politician also assisted Asad in obtaining safe haven in the capital. Surprisingly, even while imprisoned, Ashraf had access to FaceTime and WhatsApp, which he used to communicate with Asad, Ghulam, and the shooters.
According to police sources, Atiq went to great lengths to keep his son Asad from being apprehended. Following the murder of Umesh Pal, Asad and Ghulam travelled from Prayagraj to Kanpur. They then took the bus to Noida. Asad had previously lived in Noida while studying. However, fearful that the Uttar Pradesh STF would arrive, he escaped to Delhi.
According to reports, a politician had made plans to remain in Delhi’s Sangam Vihar neighbourhood.
Atiq Ahmed’s wife, Shaista Parveen, who is also charged in the Umesh Pal murder case, allegedly wired money to her son Asad and shooter Ghulam via Meerut resident Akhlaq. Both Asad and Ghulam travelled to Ajmer after spending time in Delhi. Following that, Ashraf phoned the duo over FaceTime and instructed them to travel to Nashik.
Shaista Parveen is currently on the run, and UP Police has increased the reward for her capture from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000.
Asad and Ghulam travelled from Nashik to Pune, where Abu Salem’s close friends made arrangements for their stay. Following this, Maharashtra Police began looking for them. Asad and Ghulam then went back to Delhi for a while. Later, the duo travelled to Jhansi and slept at the home of Guddu Muslim, another accused. The home is next to a power plant built on the Pariccha dam. Guddu Muslim is still at large.
A 12-member STF team of the Uttar Pradesh Police assassinated Asad and Ghulam. According to a FIR, the STF squad attempted to catch the two wanted offenders alive. According to the FIR, the accused yelled insults at the police squad and shot at them before they were murdered in “retaliatory firing.” Three shooters are being sought: Armaan, Guddu Muslim, and Sabbir. Earlier, in an encounter, police killed two gunmen, Arbaaz and Vijay Chaudhary alias Usman.
