Umesh Pal Murder Case: Prayagraj Court Sends Atiq Ahmed's Brother-In-Law To Police Remand For 14 Days

In a major breakthrough in the Umesh Pal murder case, Prayagraj court sends Atiq Ahmed's brother-in-law to 14-day police remand.

Atiq Ahmed getting off of a police van

In a major development in the Umesh Pal murder case, a Prayagraj court sent Atiq Ahmed's brother-in-law Akhlaq to 14-day police remand on Monday. He was arrested for allegedly harbouring shooters and helping them escape after committing the crimes. Akhlaq hails from the Nauchandi area of Uttar Pradesh's Meerut.

News agency ANI reported police sources as saying that after murdering Pal, the shooter and Ahmed's son Asad absconded with Akhlaq's help. 

Mafia-don-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed was convicted on March 28 and was sentenced to life imprisonment in the abduction case of the now-deceased Umesh Pal. 

Pal's case became the first in which Atiq Ahmed, who has more than 100 cases registered against him in the last 43 years, got convicted. Apart from him, the court gave life sentences to Dinesh Pasi and Khan Saulat Hanif while imposing a fine of Rs 5,000 on each of the three convicts, reported ANI. 

Seven other accused in the case including Atiq Ahmed's brother Ashraf were acquitted. 

Umesh Pal, an advocate and a prime witness in the 2005 murder case of the Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Raju Pal, was shot dead this year on February 24 in Prayagraj. Apart from Pal, his two security personnel were also shot dead.

Atiq, the former MP and MLA, was brought by Uttar Pradesh Police from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Jail to Prayagraj's Naini jail last week after over a 24-hour-long drive.

Atiq Ahmed's Background

Born on August 10, 1962, Atiq Ahmed is named in over 100 cases, as per the police. His brother Ashraf has 52 cases, his wife Shaista Praveen has three, and his sons Ali and Umar Ahmad have four and one cases, respectively, against them.

Atiq Ahmed first won the Allahabad West seat as an independent candidate in the 1989 UP Assembly election. He went on to win the next two elections as well.

He switched to the Samajwadi Party in 1993 and then moved to Apna Dal in 1999. He quit the Apna Dal in 2003 to go back to Samjwadi Party, where he remained till his arrest in 2018.