Slain mafia Khalid Azeem aka Ashraf Khan’s brother-in-law Saddam, who was an accused in the sensational killing of Umesh Pal in Prayagraj on February 24, was arrested by Uttar Pradesh’s Special Task Force (STF) in Delhi on Thursday.
Saddam’s arrest might give some lead about dreaded gangster Guddu Muslim, Sabir, Arman, Shaista Parveen, Ayesha Noori and other members of Atiq Ahmed’s IS 227 gang who are on the run in Pal’s murder.
Some of the senior police officers claim that Abdul Ahmed alias Saddam used to be one of the most active members of IS 227. “In order to save himself from the arrest, Saddam was residing in Delhi, Karnataka and Mumbai and was changing his position regularly in order to dodge the police,” a senior police officer said.
The police said Saddam played a crucial role in planning Umesh Pal’s murder, and facilitated meetings with gang members at Bareilly Central Jail where Ashraf Ahmed was lodged. UP STF said Saddam left for Dubai after his name surfaced in Umesh Pal’s murder case. The Bareilly Police had announced Rs 1 lakh reward for his arrest. However, after the murder of mafia-turned-politician Atiq and Ashraf, Saddam returned to India to look after Ashraf’s property.
“There are many unsolved mysteries related to the Umesh Pal’s murder case. And, the arrest of Saddam would be a major breakthrough as it may help the cops in finding answers to all unsolved mysteries,” senior police officials said.
“Saddam may help in revealing the whereabouts of slain mafia Atiq Ahmed’s wife Shaista Parveen, who carries a reward of Rs 50,000. Parveen is a prime accused in Pal’s murder case. She did not turn up when her third son Asad, who allegedly led the team of assailants in Umesh Pal’s murder, was gunned down in a police encounter on April 13 nor when her husband Atiq and his brother Ashraf were murdered by three assailants in police custody in the presence of media outside a hospital in Prayagraj on April 15,” a senior police officer said.
Police said Saddam’s arrest can also give some lead about Zainab Fatima, wife of Atiq Ahmed’s younger brother Ashraf, and their sister Ayesha Noori and her two daughters Unzela and Mantasha in connection with the murder.
UP STF recovered a mobile phone and a car from Saddam. Police said Saddam was accused in six criminal cases, of which four cases were registered in Dhoomanganj Police Station and two in Bareilly’s Bithri Chainpur Police Station.
Umesh Pal, a prime witness in Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal murder (in 2005), was shot dead by the members of Atiq Ahmed’s gang in broad daylight on February 24 when he was on his way to attend a court hearing in the case in Prayagraj’s Dhoomanganj area.
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