Atiq Ahmed-Ashraf Murder: Internet Services Remain Suspended, Heavy Police Deployment Continues In Prayagraj

Internet services remain suspended and there is a heavy police deployment in the Pyaragraj city after the double murder of gangsters Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf.

Prayagraj: With internets services remaining suspended and heavy police deployment in sensitive areas of Prayagraj, normalcy is yet to return to the city which witnessed the sensational killing of the gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his criminal brother Ashraf by three sharpshooters on Saturday night. According to reports, several sensitive places in Allahabad West assembly constituency, which was the stronghold of the former Lok Sabha MP, continued to witness the heavy deployment of police personnel on Monday.

Normal activities were yet to resume in Kasari-Masari, the place where gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad's ancestral house is located, and adjoining areas of Prayagraj, a day after he and his brother Ashraf were buried in their native place. Kasari-Masari also falls in the Allahabad West assembly constituency.

Patrolling In Sensitive Areas, Fewer Shops Opening

A few shops opened in areas adjoining Chakia-Rajrooppur, Kareli and Khuldabad. Police are, meanwhile, conducting patrolling in sensitive places in the area, sources said. People were reluctant to speak about the gunning down of Ahmad and Ashraf on Saturday night, even as internet services remained suspended in the city. Internet services were suspended for an indefinite period till further notice in Prayagraj and Section 144 was imposed for security reasons soon after the double murders in the city on Saturday.

However, normalcy returned to other parts of the city, including in and around the Civil Line bBs Depot and Hanuman Temple on Monday. Normal traffic was seen on the roads of the city with the office goers and school children rushing to their destinations.

Police To Seek Remand Of Three Shooters

The police sources said that the police may submit an application in the court in a day or two seeking the remand of three assailants -- Lavlesh Tiwari (a resident of Banda), Mohit alias Sunny (Hamirpur) and Arun Maurya (Kasganj) -- who killed Ahmad and his brother Ashraf.

On Sunday, the three attackers were sent to 14-day judicial custody by a local court. They could also be questioned about how they got such modern weapons, and whether anyone had given them a contract to kill Ahmad and Ashraf, the sources said.

Shooters Conducted Recce, Knew Each Other

According to the sources, during questioning of the three assailants, it emerged that they knew each other and had planned to commit the crime and had also started recce of various places in Prayagraj where Ahmad and Ashraf would be possibly taken to by the police.

An FIR has been registered against the assailants under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC as well as relevant sections of the Arms Act. Police said Lavlesh sustained injuries during cross-firing and was undergoing treatment at Swaroop Rani Medical College here.

Three Shooters Shifted To Another UP Jail

Amid a blame game over the sensational killing of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf, three sharpshooters, who sprayed bullets killing the two on the spot, were shifted from the Prayagraj Central Jail to the Pratapgarh District Jail on Monday over security concerns. News agency PTI quoted a senior official as saying that the transfer of the three killers was done on administrative grounds.

The assailants - Mohit alias Sunny (23) of Hamirpur, Lavlesh Tiwari (22) of Banda and Arun Maurya (18) of Kasganj - were arrested soon after the sensational shootout outside the Prayagraj hospital where policemen were escorting the brothers for a medical check-up Saturday night.

The trio was taken from Prayagraj at 12 noon and reached Pratapgarh at 2.10 PM, officials said. It may be noted that one of the two remaining sons of Atiq Ahmad is currently lodged in the Prayagraj Central Jail in Uttar Pradesh.

UP Govt Constitutes SIT To Probe Atiq- Ahmed-Ashraf Murder

Nearly two days after three persons posing as media persons gunned down gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed in Prayagraj, the Uttar Pradesh Police constituted two special investigating teams (SITs) to probe the sensational killing incident. 

The first SIT which would be headed by Additional DCP (crime) Satish Chandra has been formed to probe the murder case registered at Shahganj police station, according to an order issued by Prayagraj Commissioner of Police, Ramit Sharma on Sunday. The second SIT has been formed to supervise the first one. This SIT will be headed by ADG Prayagraj Zone Bhanu Bhaskar and would also have Prayagraj Commissioner of Police and Director Forensic Science Laboratory as its members, an order issued by the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police, RK Vishwakarma on Sunday, said.

Three-Member Judicial Panel To Probe Pryagraj Murders

The state government had on Sunday also announced to form a three-member judicial inquiry committee to probe the murder of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed. The committee will be headed by Allahabad High Court (Retired) judge Arvind Kumar Tripathi, and have two others including retired judge Brijesh Kumar Soni, and retired IPS officer Subesh Kumar Singh. 

Atiq- Ahmed, Ashraf Killled By Three Shooters Posing As Reporters

Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad were shot dead by men posing as press persons on Saturday night while being taken for a medical examination in Prayagraj. Both the gangsters collapsed on the spot after they were shot at nearly point-blank range.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath soon after the incident took cognizance and ordered to set up a judicial commission in the matter. All three shooters, Arun Maurya, Sunny Singh and Lovelesh Tiwari who killed Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf, have been sent to 14-day judicial custody by the district court on Sunday. 

On Sunday, the last rites of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf took place at a family graveyard in the Kasari Masari area of Prayagraj. Minor sons of gangster Atiq Ahmed were brought to the burial ground from a juvenile home. Atiq Ahmed was accused in the 2005 Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal murder case and also in the Umesh Pal murder case which happened in February this year.