Atiq Ahmed’s murderers : All you need to know about the three attackers
Uttar Pradesh Gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad, his brother Ashraf Ahmad were shot at and killed on 15 April, Saturday by three shooters on camera while the duo was being taken for medical checkup in Prayagraj. Three men have been arrested for the appalling murder of gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother while being escorted by the police late Saturday. The FIR said that the three assailants, siblings Ashraf and Atiq Ahmed’s murderers, were nabbed along with weapons from the crime spot itself.
The trio has been identified as Lavlesh Tiwari (22) of Banda, Mohit alias Sunny (23) of Hamirpur and Arun Maurya (18) of Kasganj. It is reported that they have criminal antecedents, and their families have cut off themselves from them.
Lovelesh Tewari, was referred to as a ‘drug addict’ by his father. He was put in jail earlier as well. His father told the media that the family has nothing to do with him. “He is my son. We saw the incident on TV. We are not aware of the actions of Lovelesh nor do we have anything to do with this. He never lived here, and neither was he involved in our family affairs. He did not tell us anything. He came here five to six days ago. We have not been on talking terms with him for years.” Yagya Tiwari, Lovelesh’s father, said.
Lovelesh, a resident of Kotwali in Banda district, used to visit home rarely and that the last he visited was around one week ago, said his younger brother Sarvesh Tiwari, adding “He used to take a lot of drugs.” As per his Facebook profile, Tiwari (22) is a Bajrang Dal leader. On his profile, he says he is a Zila Sah Pramukh of the Bajrang Dal. Lovelesh was shot in the leg during cross firing by his co-accused, and is being treated at a Prayagraj hospital.
Another accused Mohit, also known as Sunny, has 14 cases registered against him, and has been on the run. He has since been declared a history-sheeter. His father had died, and he left home after selling off his share of the ancestral property. Sunny hasn’t visited his family, his mother and brother, for over five years now. His brother runs a tea stall. “He used to wander around and did no work. We live separately and don’t know how he became a criminal. We have no idea about the incident,” Pintu Singh, brother of second attacker Sunny Singh, said.
In Hamirpur, a neighbour told that Mohit had not been living in the area for about 10 years.”He was a resident of Kurara, and was normal when he was young. He went to jail after a brawl, after which his mentality changed and he entered the world of crime. After a few incidents, he left Kurara. He was in Hamirpur jail for about a year,” he said.
The third accused, Arun Maurya, had left home as a child. His name once appeared in connection with the murder of a policeman on a train in 2010, as reported by NDTV. He worked at a factory in Delhi. He went to jail last year for carrying an illegal weapon and an FIR has also been registered against him for alleged attack on witnesses in a murder case.
He is a minor, as per the ration card of his family living in Kadarwadi village in UP’s Kasganj district.A copy of the document, accessed by TOI on Wednesday, mentions that Arun was born on January 1, 2006, making him 17 years, 3 months and 18 days old. Claiming the same, his uncle Sunil Maurya, said, “He must have been misled by someone to commit the crime.” Police in a statement on Sunday had claimed Arun to be 18 years old.However, the FIR registered in the case under the Arms Act at the Industrial Area (sector 29) of Panipat district mentions that Arun was born in 1992, making him 31 years old.
In Kasganj, the neighbours of Arun Maurya expressed shock over the incident. The alleged shooter’s parents are dead. Two of his brothers are in the scrap business in Delhi, the neighbours told reporters.
On Wednesday, Arun along with two other shooters, was sent to four-day police remand by the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Prayagraj. They have also been transferred to a different prison amid security fears.
According to the FIR, the accused told police they wanted to make a name for themselves and establish their identity in the state by eliminating Atiq Ahmed’s gang. The accused told the police during the probe that they wanted to become notorious criminals, which is why they murdered Atiq and his brother. “We wanted to kill Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf with the aim of completely wiping off the Atiq-Ashraf gang and making a name for ourselves,” the FIR quoted the arrested assailants as telling the police.
“Since the time we got to know about the police custody of Atiq and Ashraf, we were planning to murder them. So we posed as journalists and when we got the right opportunity, we pulled the trigger and implemented the plan,” one of the accused told police.
On the incident site, the men suddenly dropped their camera and took out the arms. They were carrying three fake media identity cards, a camera, and a mike. All three were caught shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ as they killed Atiq and Ashraf.
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Atiq and Ashraf Ahmad were in police custody when they were killed in front of the media at point-blank range while they were being taken to a hospital for checkup by three shooters who had been posing as journalists. They have also been questioned by the police’s SIT or special investigative team, set up by UP Police this week.
Atiq and his brother Ashraf were killed in firing near medical college in UP's Prayagraj. Visuals from the site of firing. pic.twitter.com/YCa4DKNb4R
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 15, 2023
The three were staying at a lodge in Prayagraj, for 48 hours before they conducted the murder. The assailants showed no remorse, and seemed ready to accept the death sentence, as reported by the investigation team.
Five police personnel have been suspended for negligence in relation to the killings of mafia-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf, a senior officer said in Prayagraj on Wednesday
Ashwani Kumar Singh, the in-charge of the Shahganj police station, was suspended along with a sub-inspector and three constables. All five police officers were questioned by the special investigation team (SIT) on Tuesday, and on the basis of its report, suspensions were made on Wednesday.
