By India Today News Desk: Gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad was killed in an encounter on Thursday in Jhansi by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF). He was wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case and had a Rs 5 lakh bounty on his head.

The encounter occurred the same day when Atiq Ahmed was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in Prayagraj in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case. As soon as Atiq received information about the encounter, he wept bitterly in court, sources told India Today. Atiq’s brother Ashraf, who was also produced in the court, was in shock after the news of his nephew’s encounter.

Atiq and his family are in the limelight after their names cropped up in the recent murder of Umesh Pal, a prime witness in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case. There are about 160 criminal cases registered against his family.

CRIMINAL HISTORY OF ATIQ AHMED & FAMILY

Atiq Ahmed, a five-time MLA from the Samajwadi Party (SP), married Shaista Parveen in 1996. The couple have five sons — Umar, Ali, Asad and two are minors.

According to the Uttar Pradesh Police, Atiq has been named in 100 cases, while his brother Ashraf has 52 cases. Atiq’s wife Shaista Parveen has three, and sons Ali and Umar have four and one cases, respectively, against them.

Shaista Parveen, an accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, is currently absconding. She had joined the BSP and was touted to be the candidate in the upcoming Prayagraj mayoral polls. But after her name surfaced in the Umesh Pal murder case, BSP chief Mayawati said that she would not be given a ticket to contest the Prayagraj mayoral polls. Parveen is accused of being involved in Umesh Pal’s murder and is believed to have told the shooters to flee after the killing. The Uttar Pradesh Police has doubled the reward for her arrest from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000.

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Umar, the eldest son of Atiq, is presently in jail on charges of extorting, assaulting and kidnapping a Lucknow-based businessman named Mohit Jaiswal in 2018. In August last year, Umar surrendered before the CBI. He is presently in a jail in Lucknow.

Ali is also in prison. A case of attempt to murder was filed against him. He recently got bail from the Allahabad High Court in that case. However, there is another case of extortion against him. He is lodged in Naini Jail in Prayagraj for demanding Rs 5 crores from a property dealer in the city.

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Asad, before his death, was an accused in the Umesh Pal murder case. He reportedly fled to Lucknow after the killing of Umesh Pal. He had been absconding since then.

Asad and his co-accused Ghulam, both carrying a bounty of Rs 5 lakhs each, were on a bike when the police asked them to stop for routine checking in Jhansi. They did not stop and started firing on the police. The STF team had fired back at them and the two were killed in the ensuing gunfire.

On the other hand, two minor sons are also in police custody in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.

Atiq’s brother Ashraf has a criminal record from as early as 1992. This includes a kidnapping case in Muthiganj police station, Prayagraj, and other cases registered in Rae Bareli and Chandauli districts. On three occasions, cases registered against Ashraf under the Gangster Act were withdrawn.

Atiq and two others are presently serving life imprisonment in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case.

PROPERTIES WORTH CRORES SEIZED

Properties worth Rs 11,684 crores belonging to Atiq and his family have been seized and 54 of his cases are currently under trial in various courts. The Prayagraj district administration also says it has released properties amounting to Rs 751 crores forcibly occupied by Atiq and his associates. Police have seized properties worth Rs 8 crores of Parveen, who is a BSP leader, under the provisions of the Gangster Act.

The police have also seized properties worth Rs 27.33 crores of Ashraf.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has often spoken about the actions taken by his government to improve law and order in the state, including frequent demolition by bulldozers to raze illegal property of criminals and the mafia.

Yogi Adityanath on Thursday praised the state STF team involved in Asad’s encounter and their efforts to maintain the rule of law. The encounter was led by Deputy SP Navendu and Deputy SP Vimal.

LOSS WORTH RS 1,200 CRORES EVERY YEAR

The state government has taken steps to tighten the noose around the mafia, due to which Atiq and his associates have suffered a loss worth Rs 1,200 crores every year.

With the Yogi Adityanath-led government coming to power in the state in 2017, Atiq and his henchmen have been forced to shut down their business of illegal contracts and tenders, causing heavy losses to them. So far, land worth Rs 417 crores has been freed from the possession of Atiq Ahmed and his associates and gang.