More trouble for Atiq Ahmed as UP police book him, son for extortion

The police in Prayagraj have registered a case against gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his son for extortion, an official said on Tuesday.

Atiq Ahmad, who was lodged in the Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat, is being brought to Prayagraj by the Uttar Pradesh Police to be produced in a court in connection with a different case.

He and members of his family are also accused of being involved in the recent killing of Umesh Pal, a witness to the murder of BSP Raju Pal in 2005.

The latest case was registered at the Dhoomanganj police station on Monday, the official added.

Deputy commissioner of police (city) Deepak Bhuker said the case was registered against Atiq Ahmad, his son Ali, Asad Kalia, Shakeel, Shakir, Sabi Abbas, Faizan, Saif, Naami, Affan, Mahmood, Maood and Aslam Mantri (Atiq's cousin) based on a complaint lodged by Sabir Hussain.

The case was registered under IPC Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 307 (attempt to murder) and 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death on grievous hurt) among others.

In his complaint, Sabir Hussain said, "On February 15, 2023, at around 7.30 pm, Atiq's cousin Aslam Mantri and Asad Kalia came to my house, and told me that Atiq 'bhaai' has called me to Gujarat. When I refused to go with them, they started hurling abuses at me, beat me up, and also demanded Rs 1 lakh."

"They threatened to kill me if I did not pay. Prior to this, on April 14, 2019, Ali (son of Atiq), Asad Kalia, Shakeel, Shakir, Sabi Abbas, Faizan, Saif, Naami, Affan, Mahmood, Maood and Aslam Mantri (cousin of Atiq) wanted me to speak to Atiq over phone. They also demanded Rs 1 crore," he added.

A few days ago, police had booked Atiq Ahmad, his wife Shaista Parveen and son Ali in a forgery case linked to the murder of Umesh Pal.

The FIR was registered on April 8 at the Dhoomanganj police station in Prayagraj in which two more people -- Mohammad Sabir and Rakesh alias Nakesh alias Lala -- have been named, the Prayagraj police said in a statement.

During the investigations in the Umesh Pal murder case, police had detained Rakesh for questioning, the statement said.

Umesh Pal and his two police security guards were shot dead on February 24 outside his home in Prayagraj's Dhoomanganj.