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Atiq, Ashraf murder accused ‘loves’ expensive cars, firearms
SIT officials said Tiwari has confessed to the murders, which he committed with two others to make a name for himself in crime and become popular.
Lavlesh Tiwari, one of the three assailants in jail and being investigated for murdering gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Khalid Azeem (Ashraf), shares a deep passion for expensive vehicles and firearms, if his social media posts are to be believed.
Tiwari, whose social media accounts show that he has hundreds of followers, was a member of a social organisation in Lucknow, a senior police officer confirmed. The organisation, run by a priest, had helped people during the early Covid-19 waves, and takes care of stray animals.
Tiwari, who hails from Banda, and his associates Arun Kumar Maurya and Mohit Purane aka Sunny Singh gunned down Atiq and his brother in full media glare even when the duo was surrounded by policemen on the night of April 15.
Tiwari, who can be seen firing multiple shots at Atiq in some of the videos of the incident, was quite active on social media. He operated two Facebook accounts and frequently posted pictures of himself with his family and friends.
His posts also show that he had spent much of his time in Lucknow before he was booked for allegedly assaulting a girl, police officials said. He is also an accused in cases of liquor smuggling and others registered under the IT Act, officials said.
Tiwari also spent some time in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh and was in touch with people involved in sand mining. He has posted photos of himself with others on sand ghats as they posed with firearms.
The murder accused also has several photos posing with SUV and expensive motorcycles. In one them, he can be seen smoking hookah. In some others, Tiwari can be seen praying at temples.
The SIT officials, who questioned the trio, said Tiwari has confessed to the murders, which he committed to make a name for himself in crime and become popular.
