E-Paper
This is how Atiq ‘collected’ money to fund his poll campaigns
It was apart from the gangster’s various other criminal activities such as murders, attacks and land grabbing
After the killings of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Ahmed alias Ashraf, the stories of how he used to allegedly extort money in the name of election funds are coming to the fore. This was apart from his various other criminal activities such as murders, attacks and land grabbing.
If traders and well-off businessmen, especially of old city areas of Prayagraj, are to be believed, Atiq Ahmed would issue yellow and white slips for ‘forced donations’ in the name of contributions to his poll expenses.
During the campaign for parliamentary polls of 2004, which he contested from Phulpur parliamentary seat here and emerged victorious, Atiq had allegedly collected crores in the name of election funds.
The slips of the money deposited in the bank account are now being widely shared on social media post April 15 night, when he along with Ashraf was gunned down by three armed assailants while being taken for their daily medical examination.
For the polls, the preparations had started in earnest by Atiq and his aides months in advance. Crores of rupees were spent in his election campaign as there was no shortage of funds. A show of his wealth in the shape of luxury SUVs pressed for the campaigning to big banners and hoardings were put up everywhere in Phulpur area.
Surrounded by gun-toting aides in their dozens, Atiq had visited the villages almost every day and left the rural voters of the area in awe, claimed a businessman residing in Phulpur area of Prayagraj who witnessed it all first-hand.
The Mafioso invented a new method of extorting money. If the people pressured by Atiq and his aides to shell out money to help him are to be believed, he had sent slips to well-known builders, traders, doctors, property dealers and other influential people of the district.
These slips were of two types: A white slip through which ₹5 lakh to 50 lakh was to be deposited. These slips were meant for people who were running their own hospitals, factories and big showrooms etc.
An aggrieved businessman of the old city area said that Atiq had sent yellow slips to him and some of his business colleagues for recovery. As soon as the slip reached, people had to deposit ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh in the specified bank account. No one had the courage to disobey Atiq’s orders, he claimed saying he ‘donated’ ₹5 lakh in the given bank account at the time.
One such slip is being shared on social media on Monday with Bank of Maharashtra’s account number 60164021028 written on it. Though HT has not independently verified the authenticity of the slip, it was being shared as proof that in this bank account Atiq Ahmad used to get the money deposited from traders and businessmen to fund his polls. After depositing the money, people had to deliver the slip to Atiq personally, said a police official confirming the allegations.
This bank account was frozen by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2022. Apart from this, more than ₹1 crore was also deposited in 11 bank accounts seized by the ED as part of its crackdown on Atiq Ahmed as part of action initiated against him after registering a money laundering case against the Mafioso in 2021, said an ED official on the condition of anonymity.
