Umesh Pal murder: House where Atiq Ahmed’s family lived demolished

PRAYAGRAJ: Two days after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that 'mafia ko mitti mein mila denge (mafia will be finished)', the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA), on Wednesday, started demolishing the house of kin of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed.

Atiq Ahmed along with his wife Shaista Parveen, their two sons and his brother Ashraf, have been named as accused in the Umesh Pal murder case.

The house, located in Chakia under Kareli police station of Prayagraj, is said to belong to one Khalid Jafar where Shaista Parveen was currently residing after Atiq Ahmad's own house was demolished for having been "illegally constructed" in September 2020 as part of an action against him.

Confirming the demolition, PDA vice-chairman Arvind Kumar Chauhan said, "The house was illegally constructed in violation of set norms and is therefore being demolished. Notice was issued to the owner and all the requisite process was followed."

The cost of the house is estimated to be around Rs 2.5 crore.

Umesh Pal was a key witness in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal's murder case in Prayagraj in which Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Azeem besides many close aides are prime accused.

On the evening of February 24, armed men opened fire on Pal and two policemen outside his residence in the Sulem Sarai area of Prayagraj.

Umesh Pal and one of the policemen, Sandeep Nishad, died while another security personnel Raghvendra Singh is critical.

On Monday, the local police eliminated Arbaaz in an encounter for his alleged role in the Umesh Pal murder case. Arbaaz's link with former MP Atiq Ahmed has come to the fore.

According to police, he worked as a domestic help in Atiq's house since childhood. Later, Arbaaz worked as a driver for Atiq's sons.

A police inquiry has revealed that Arbaaz, a resident of the district's Sallahpur area, drove the car in which assailants reached the spot and fired shots at Umesh Pal and his security guards on February 24.