Asad, son of jailed gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad, and shooter Ghulam Mohammad were killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police in Jhansi on Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Both were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each. They were killed in an encounter with an UP Special Task Force team, Special Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar disclosed.
“Sophisticated foreign made weapons were recovered from the accused. Further details are awaited,” he said, adding the UP STF team that gunned down Asad and Ghulam Mohammad was led by deputy superintendents of police Navendu Kumar and Vimal Kumar.
Atiq Ahmad was in the court of chief judicial magistrate in Prayagraj in connection with the murder case when the news of Asad’s encounter broke. He started crying after hearing the news of his son's encounter. He asked for water and sat down holding his head in the district court premises.
STF officials said Asad and Ghulam were on the run since the murder of Umesh Pal on February 24. Several STF teams were pressed to track them down.
On Thursday, they were trying to flee on a motorcycle when they were intercepted by an STF team in Jhansi, the officials said, adding they opened fire on the police personnel and were killed in retaliatory firing.
ADG (STF) Amitabh Yash said, “We knew that they had foreign weapons. We were ready. The way this gang killed Umesh Pal and his two gunners, it was not easy to catch these accused. Both had British Bull Dog revolver and Walther pistol. These weapons are rare. Generally not found”.
Visuals showed two bodies lying beside a motorcycle at the site of the alleged encounter. An ambulance later took them away.
With Thursday’s encounter, in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case, the UP Police have so far gunned down four shooters. Earlier Arbaaz was killed in the first encounter on February 27 in Prayagraj itself. Arbaaz was driving the Creta car by which the assailants had reached Umesh Pal's house. Assad was also in it. The second encounter took place on March 6. In this, Vijay Chaudhary alias Usman, who fired the first shot at Umesh, was killed.
Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder case of then Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Raju Pal, and his two police security guards were shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj’s Dhoomanganj area on February 24 this year.
His wife Jaya Pal had lodged a report on February 25 against Atiq Ahmad, his brother Ashraf, Asad, Ghulam and others.
Reacting to the news of the encounter, Umesh Pal’s family thanked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the police administration.
“Whatever they have done is right. He (the chief minister) has punished the killer of his daughter’s husband. I express my gratitude. He is like a father. Justice has been done,” Jaya told the media, adding she hoped strict action would be taken against other accused.
When asked against whom else she wanted action, she said, “I leave that to the government. The government is giving me justice.”
Umesh Pal’s mother said, “The two gunners who were killed in broad daylight today had committed a sin. They have been punished today. We have faith, we will get complete justice.”
The FIR in the Umesh Pal murder cases was lodged under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Atiq Ahmad is also an accused in the 2005 Raju Pal murder case.